Event No. 24 of the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project took me and frequent traveling compadre, Tim Parker, deep into the Southern Hemisphere to Buenos Aires, Argentina, for a pair of soccer, er, futbol matches.
One featured a pair of Argentine Primera Division foes River Plate and San Martin de San Juan and the other was an epic homecoming – and likely farewell – for current beloved soccer son, Lionel Messi, who likely played his final competitive national team match on home soil during Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Venezuela in a World Cup 2026 Qualifying match. Messi scored twice and had a third disallowed for offsides so everyone in the partisan crowd at Estadio Mas Monumental went home happy.
Tim and I discuss what our week was like in Buenos Aires, the two futbol matches in particular, in this bonus episode.