Argentina fans’ love for Messi was on display in KC World Cup game. And he scored
Tang Jennings endured about 20 hours of travel time to get to Kansas City from Nanjing, China.
But it was worth it, because he was going to see his favorite player in the world: Argentina soccer star Lionel Messi.
“This is my dream. I don’t know how to describe, but you know he’s the ...” Jennings said, his voice trailing off.
“I love it more than my life.”
Argentina fans wearing Messi’s familiar No. 10 jersey were all around Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium on Tuesday night, no doubt sharing some of Jennings’ passion.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is revered by Chiefs fans, but if you attend a game at Arrowhead you’ll see plenty of fans wearing jerseys other than his No. 15. A multitude of No. 87 Travis Kelce jerseys, for instance, are always on display at KC’s NFL games.
The pre-game challenge Tuesday night was finding an Argentina fan not wearing No. 10.
It took some time, but we found one: Max Schwarts was sporting a No. 9 Julián Álvarez jersey in Argentina’s traditional sky blue and white jersey.
“The last World Cup I saw how Julián Álvarez was playing and the kid really has got magic in his feet,” Schwarts said. “And I really hope that this year, he is going to move into my favorite club, Barcelona.”
Schwarts had a shorter trip to KC than the fan from China, driving eight hours from Chicago. And while he loves Álvarez, Schwarts said he also has a bunch of Messi’s jerseys.
Of Argentina, Schwarts said, “They pray to Jesus and Lionel Messi. That’s how it works. ... Messi is like a god.”
Schwarts was at the game with two buddies, Nehoray Karadi and Moor Ailoz, who live in Milwaukee.
Both were wearing No. 10 Messi jerseys.
Inside Messi’s game
At roughly 6:20 p.m., Argentina’s team bus arrived at the stadium. And out stepped Messi and his teammates.
When he took the field for warmups at 7:23 p.m., there was a huge roar from the pro-Argentine crowd. Ditto for when Messi was shown in the tunnel a few minutes later, and when he came out for the playing of the national anthems.
Messi nearly made an instant impact when he appeared to score in the fifth minute, only to be ruled offsides.
No matter — he broke through for real in the 17th minute with a gorgeous 20-yard shot that went off the Algerian goalkeeper’s hand before tickling the net.
A cheer erupted from the stands ... and among the Argentine media in the press box.
Fans soon serenaded him with “MESS-I! MESS-I!” chants.
They would do so two more times on Tuesday night, as Messi recorded the first World Cup hat trick of his illustrious career.
This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 8:57 PM.
