CASTELLDEFELS, Spain – Fans waving red and gold Spanish flags filled the streets into the early hours of Monday, setting off fireworks into the night sky and hugging each other after Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final.
On Sunday, street jubilation echoed through towns and cities across Spain as Ferran Torres’ goal in extra time gave La Roja their second title.
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Fans watching the match on giant screens shouted, “Campeones! Campeones! (Champions! Champions!)”
But in Castelldefels, a tourist city south of Barcelona, fans from both countries enjoyed the match thanks to the presence of a large Argentine immigrant community.
Chief among them is Lionel Messi, one of the former residents who is quite special, at least mentally.
Messi spent his greatest years playing for Barcelona, and his presence still looms large over the city. During Sunday’s match, many Argentine and neutral fans walked around wearing his famous number 10 shirt.
And here in Catalonia, support for independence from Spain may have waned in recent years but remains a powerful force, with many supporting other teams at the World Cup. The reason why so many people support Argentina is precisely because of Messi’s influence.
The Argentina captain still owns a luxury complex in Castelldefels with its own soccer field, reportedly worth $8 million.
It is in the Bellamar area, nestled in the hills above this seaside town of 70,000 people, where he and his family lived during his glory days at Barça.
Barça fans still cherish the thought of Messi finally hanging up his shoes and returning to town. Rumors abounded about the player’s recent acquisition of Unio Cornella, a club in the fifth tier of Spanish soccer.
He would walk his children to the local English school in town as passersby looked on in awe.
Before he became too much of a global megastar, he would quietly go for drinks with his wife at a seaside bar and have no problem signing autographs or posing for photos.
Everyone in this wealthy Mediterranean town has a story about how they met Messi. Some of them are true.
La Pampa is just one of the Argentine steak restaurants in town that Messi frequented when he lived here. Its owner quietly shows off a photo of the player smiling at the camera.
For the younger crowd, Ankara Burger has a large selection of soccer shirts from Argentine clubs such as Boca Juniors, River Plate and Independiente.
The region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain, with Barcelona as its capital, is home to the largest number of Argentine expatriates in Spain, numbering 37,980.
Away from the Mediterranean coast, controversy has erupted over Argentine players holding up political banners supporting Argentina’s claim to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands after their World Cup semi-final victory over England, an act seen as a breach of the FIFA stadium code of conduct and which has touched a nerve in Britain over political sovereignty.
Argentine President Javier Millay’s support for Israel has also caused controversy in countries like Spain, where opinion polls suggest a majority of the population supports the Palestinian cause.
But in Castelldefels, the political turmoil raging thousands of miles away wasn’t on fans’ minds Sunday night.
Spanish and Argentine flags fly outside Gio and Gemma Gonzalez’s apartment, the perfect sign that this is a melting pot of cultures.
Gio Gonzalez followed a path familiar to many other Argentines and moved to Spain from Buenos Aires in 2000. He met his wife Gemma in Barcelona and the couple moved to Castelldefels in 2007.
Like thousands of others, the couple watched the game on a giant screen organized by the town council.
Researcher Gio Gonzalez (54) said, “I’m a crazy, passionate Argentina fan, so I dreamed of winning again, but that didn’t happen.It was a tough game, but my wife and I are happy that Spain won.”
Gema Gonzalez, 46, a housewife, was all smiles when she saw Spain’s victory after a hard-fought battle.
“I feel sorry for my husband, but only a little!” she laughed. “I think Spain were better and we deserved to win. I know I say this, but I think we were the best team in this tournament.”
