On the boulevard near 42nd Street in Times Square, a group of Colombians, the flag of their nation wrapped around their bodies, was watching the Argentina-Algeria game on a smartphone. They had come assuming there was a free watch party. There was none. Fashion advertisements flickered on the monstrous billboards; most sports bars and pubs were filled. So they made their own watch party — on the streets, with their phones. A swarm of Argentines joined them, miniature World Cup trophies in hand, cutting through their differences and unified by one five-foot-seven silhouette. “We have our differences, politically and ideologically, we might be rivals on a football field, we have local footballing favourites, and we argue we are the best. But we all agree that Messi is the best player in the world,” says Fernando Arcucci, a member of the Albiceleste NYC. The impromptu party was a riot of emotions, their mood dictated by Messi’s. Just five minutes in, they erupted. Messi had found the net. They screamed his name, which merged with numerous other screams. Then silence. The assistant referee had raised his flag for offside. Some almost smashed their phones against the cobblestoned pavements. “Esto es una injusticia.” This is injustice, they shouted on a loop. But they sensed, in the balmy New York night, that something special would unfold. Almost every restaurant has watch party and World Cup Special offers advertised prominently. Flags of all nations hang from the ceilings. Paul McEwan of Hipsters Junction brought in three television sets and redid his storeroom to fit more tables. (Express Photo | Sandip G) When one of his colleagues didn’t pass to him, they hurled invectives and called them “traitor”, “useless”. When he was fouled, they screamed, “send off, send off.” Then in the 17th minute when Messi scored, bedlam descended. Some mimicked the goal-cry of Latin America. “Gooaaaaalll.” They watched and rewatched the goal until fully sated. “The truth is, we are never bored of watching. You can watch him forever,” says Arcucci, an Argentine born and raised in the US. The party got bigger. There were those in Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé shirts, those in New York Knicks tees. Cultures blurred. In the roadside stalls, Messi’s replica shirts sold faster than beer and tacos. Fans searched for space in a pub, to watch the game and their idol. Many lingered outside restaurants, stretching their necks toward television screens. About 70,000 watched the game live at Kansas City Stadium. Almost as many were in Times Square or its teeming streets nearby. The local Argentine diaspora had headed to Buena Vista restaurant and bar on Ninth Avenue, booked out weeks ago. As were the joints in Jackson Heights and Elmhurst in Queens. “We don’t like watching the games alone or just with family. But together with friends, relatives, neighbours and even strangers,” Arcucci says. In the roadside stalls, Messi’s replica shirts sold faster than beer and tacos. Fans searched for space in a pub, to watch the game and their idol. Many lingered outside restaurants, stretching their necks toward television screens. (Express Photo | Sandip G) A few avenues down is the Chief Football Watchers cubicle. Two fans, Austin Franklin and Kevin Akoto, selected from thousands of applicants, are paid $50,000 each to watch every football game for 40 days, create social media content, record their reactions and engage with fans. Their cubicle is outfitted with two massive 4K TVs and draws a crowd of its own.Story continues below this ad Almost every restaurant has watch party and World Cup Special offers advertised prominently. Flags of all nations hang from the ceilings. Paul McEwan of Hipsters Junction brought in three television sets and redid his storeroom to fit more tables. “The rush is mostly for Argentina and Brazil games, where the halls are like soccer stands, packed and full of noise and colour,” he says. He has one nightmare: “If someone broke a glass in the crowd and it accidentally hit someone’s head or eye.” When Messi scored his second goal, chants filled the restaurant halls and spilled onto the streets. At Chica and Dona, even non-customers barged in to watch the replays and lingered in hope of a hat-trick. And so he did, leaving the viewers in raptures.It was the night Messi stood timeless at Times Square, when he blurred languages and cultures.
Messi’s hat-trick, Times Square and a watch party that started on the street
