E N E J I 🇳🇬

The last dance is upon us. I was born into a family that loves football. My dad’s favourite national team is Brazil (because of their flair), while my mom’s favourite is Nigeria (because of the passion she has for the country). As for me, hmm… my favourite national team had to be a mixture of both flair and passion, which led me to fall in love with Argentina. The greatest player of all time isn’t the reason I fell in love with Argentina, trust me. Yeah, Maradona was a deciding factor, but we can’t overlook the fact that Argentina has produced stars full of flair and passion for the game, especially when they put on that La Albiceleste jersey. Players like Batistuta, Caniggia, Redondo, Pablo Aimar, Ortega, Zanetti, Verón and Crespo really shaped my view of a team that plays beautiful football with loads of passion. Even before the era of the above-mentioned players, Argentina had great players. I was fortunate that my dad had VHS tapes with old clips and football stories that enlightened me about players like Pumpido (GK), Mario Kempes, Passarella and Burruchaga. Then came the era of Messi. In the youth tournaments, he won almost everything with ease. Then came the big task of winning with the senior national team. The first phase was like going to hell and coming back. Nothing seemed to fall into place. It was as if he was cursed. In fact, he even left the national team. BOOM! Then came an era where he was asked to return to the national team. But guess what came with him? A set of passionate teammates who were ready to lay down their lives alongside Messi to win it all. And, men, that passion won it all. His legacy will forever be remembered. Thank you the greatest player of all time,for giving me so much pride and joy. 🩷🇦🇷