Argentina’s triumphant return to the South American country following their World Cup victory nearly turned to disaster during their open-top bus parade.
Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates landed at Ezeiza International Airport in the capital of Buenos Aires shortly after 2am local time on Tuesday. Thousands of fans were waiting for them, lining the streets to get a glimpse at the World Cup trophy.
After climbing off their flight from Rome, the squad boarded a customised coach on a journey to the Argentine Football Association (AFA) training centre. The bus left the airport and entered streets packed with fans, who turned out to celebrate the country’s third World Cup triumph and first since 1986.