It was the saddest day of Messi’s career, and the guard couldn’t even look at him.
After Argentina’s 3-0 win over Benín at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, the captain took the microphone to say goodbye to the national team in front of more than 80 thousand people. All eyes were on him. All except those of a security worker who, according to protocol, had to remain standing, keeping an eye on the stands, with his back to the field.
He could only listen. When Messi said “it was a great source of pride for me to defend this jersey”, the man could no longer hold back and burst into tears, without moving from his post. Journalist Hernán Lirio recorded him, and the video racked up thousands of views and comments.
One spectator summed it up this way: “With our backs turned and crying like all of us”.