BUENOS AIRES, July 9 (Reuters) – Lionel Messi’s words echoed through Buenos Aires Cathedral on Thursday as Archbishop Jorge Garcia Cuerva quoted Argentina’s captain during a Mass marking the country’s Independence Day with the national team preparing for a World Cup quarter-final against Switzerland.
Garcia Cuerva used Messi’s message after the team’s 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar as a call for unity in a ceremony also attended by Argentine President Javier Milei.
“Let us keep our shirts on, and with passion, let us bring to life the message that Lionel Messi once posted on his social media,” García Cuerva said during the service before reading the words the talismanic forward wrote four years ago.
“When we Argentines fight together and stand united, we are capable of achieving whatever we set our minds to,” Messi said.
The reference came two days after Argentina beat Egypt 3-2 in a dramatic comeback, having trailed 2-0, to reach the last eight of the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Messi, 39, is playing in his sixth consecutive World Cup and has scored in each of Argentina’s five matches, leading the tournament scoring charts with eight goals.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas, editing by Ed Osmond)
