Argentina have arrived home from Qatar with the World Cup in their hands, but were very nearly brought down to earth in a very literal sense.
The plane carrying the Argentina squad arrived back in Buenos Aires at 2:30am local time and as they took the bus back to their base, they were greeted by thousands of euphoric fans.
There the players will rest for a few hours before beginning an open-top bus tour through the Argentinian capital at midday on Tuesday, which has been declared a national holiday.
Five of them nearly didn’t make it. Angel di Maria, Nicolas Otamendi, Lionel Messi, Leandro Paredes and Rodrigo de Paul were soaking up the atmosphere from the back of the bus, when some low-hanging cables nearly clotheslined them off it.
¡CUIDADO CON LOS CABLES MUCHACHOS! Insólito momento en la llegada de los campeones del mundo a Argentina.
Se le voló la gorra a Leandro Paredes. pic.twitter.com/mUfGmOTQdU
— ESPN Argentina (@ESPNArgentina) December 20, 2022
Fortunately, the only casualty was Paredes’ hat. Even over 24 hours later, the partying appears to be non-stop in Buenos Aires, as fans welcome home the trophy after 36 years.
