A family sells handicrafts to tourists next to a storefront display of Lionel Messi and his teammates lifting the World Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Inflation and poverty are at record highs in Argentina, where annual inflation has hit nearly 100% and more than 50% of children live in poverty.
These images capture the celebratory scene in Buenos Aires after Argentina national football team’s victory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. An estimated five million people took to the streets to participate in the parade and join the national team members in one of the greatest public demonstrations in Argentina’s history. For striker and star player Lionel Messi the win cements his legacy as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
Argentinian photographer Tomás Francisco Cuesta said about taking these photographs: “You really just feel good looking at those images, and those are ones that may resonate. It's just the beauty of sports. And it's the beauty of imagery, the beauty of pictures. Soccer in Argentina is so much more than a sport. It's more important than Christmas, more important than the New Years. For many people, it's more important than their jobs. That's why you saw five million people crowding the streets of Buenos Aires. It was the first time that I saw such a union in the streets without any discrimination. People were really united to celebrate and to let the players know that they were supporting them.”
