Vamos, Vamos Argentina: What the World Cup victory means for cash-starved Argentina

“Aguante Argentina (Argentina Endures)” was the loudest cheer erupting from Buenos Aires when Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez saved one penalty, another French effort went wide, and Gonzalo Montiel’s final kick clinched victory.

It was a World Cup final unlike any other — Argentina thought it had secured victory scoring two goals early on against the French squad. But it was not meant to be. The Les Bleus refused to accept defeat and Kylian Mbappe’s two goals in two minutes put a dampener on all the Argentine fans.

The match then extended into extra time — with people holding their breaths and Lionel Messi was the man once again to score a goal and push Argentina forward in the game. But France remained tenacious and with just two minutes left in the game, Mbappe once again did the unthinkable and scored to equalise the game, pushing it into a penalty shootout.

However, the Les Bleus weren’t able to secure a victory and Argentina, headed by Messi, was able to lift the World Cup trophy amid cheers and tears. Seconds after Argentina won the prestigious title thousands, if not millions streamed into the streets of Buenos Aires and it was a time of celebration and hope — horns honking, strangers hugging, and yes, crying.

Argentines hooted and yelled for their team with Juan Pablo Iglesias being quoted as saying, “This is the greatest thing that could happen, like paradise. We’re champions. We’re the greatest in the world!”

Another fan yelled from a café, “I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it. It was their ‘destiny to suffer’. It’s a condition of being Argentine.” A third fan in the capital’s Centenario Park added, “Epic, this is epic, all of Argentine history is suffering like this.”

Also read: Lionel Messi etches himself into footballing folklore as Argentina lift title after 36 years

And that is the biggest takeaway from this World Cup final. Besides it being the last World Cup for their main man Lionel Messi, it was also a distraction and a new hope for a country that is facing its worst crises.

The World Cup win — a third for Argentina, the last time they won was back in 1986 — means much, much more to the nation and as the celebrations continue, we take a closer look at just how much this win means to them.

Spiralling inflation

The South American nation is seeing an inflation unlike any other, which has wreaked havoc on the country’s economy. Last Thursday, the INDEC statistics institute published the price index for November, around six per cent, suggesting inflation, which already stood at 88 per cent over the last 12 months, is not decelerating.

Argentina has had double-figure inflation for decades. The inflation has rapidly wiped out people’s savings and dreams, especially among the middle class.

The left-wing government of President Alberto Fernández has been trying to stabilise the economy by restricting or taxing exports of the country’s main commodities — agricultural goods such as soy, meat and wheat — but critics say those protectionist measures have only aggravated Argentina’s economic misery.

On the streets of Buenos Aires and elsewhere, the number of homeless people and those desperately trying to make a living by searching trash bins for recyclable products has drastically increased in recent years.

The Washington Post estimates that ‘almost 40 per cent of the country’s population now lives below the poverty line’, thus forcing people to move abroad.

But amid this doom and gloom, as the Indian Express writes, Lionel Messi has pulled off the messiah act and lifted the people’s spirit.

Lucrecia Presdiger, a 38-year-old hospital worker, was quoted as telling AFP, “People are well aware of the problems but football and the economic situation are on parallel paths, they don’t meet. Many people really need this joy and are making the most of it. But they don’t take it literally, they know it’s only football, they are perfectly aware of the problems.”

Designer Tony Molfese was quoted as telling AFP that the Argentina triumph was a “relief, a breath of fresh air, a joy, even momentary — and we deserve it.”

Political instability

The World Cup win is also significant for Argentina as it comes at a time when the country’s powerful and polarising Vice President, Cristina Kirchner, was sentenced to six years in jail on corruption charges. The verdict deepened fissures in Argentina, where the 69-year-old dominates the political landscape.

Argentina today is a federal, democratic republic with governing power divided between executive, legislative, and judicial branches. However, that wasn’t always the case; it only transitioned to a civilian-led democracy in 1983.

Political experts note that since the 1930s, Argentina’s system of checks and balances has weakened, and political power has become increasingly centralised in the executive. Some refer to it as “hyperpresidentialist”, a tradition that stands in the way of needed democratic reforms. Among their concerns is that presidents can pass decrees that have the force of law, allowing them to bypass Congress.

Also see: Nora Fatehi and Deepika Padukone make their presence felt at FIFA World Cup closing ceremony

Messi lifting the trophy is also a reminder of Argentina’s first World Cup win. Argentina’s Labour Minister Kelly Olmos drew a perfect parallel: This win is similar to that of Argentina’s first in 1978, when the country was run by a military dictatorship.

“We were under dictatorship, persecuted, we didn’t know what tomorrow held, but Argentina became champions and we went out to celebrate in the streets,” she recalled.

It’s unlikely that the victory will have any tangible impact on the economic and political situation of the country, but it does offer a beacon of hope and pride — which would only help the nation to grow.

As Guillermo Alberto, a football fan partying on the streets of Recoleta, Buenos Aires, was quoted as telling the Politico, “Perhaps, with a bit of luck, today’s victory could be a precursor for a political and economic renovation that our country needs so badly.”

With inputs from agencies

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