WATCH: Lionel Messi in tears as Argentina fans welcome back World Cup heroes in first match since triumph in Qatar

 Messi and Co received a grand reception playing for the first time in Argentina since winning the World Cup in Qatar last year.

After returning to Argentina for their first match following the World Cup win in Qatar last year, Messi and company received a grand reception ahead of their friendly match against Panama on Thursday. By fulfilling one of his biggest dreams and bringing home the most-awaited trophy for his country, Messi no doubt scripted history by leading Argentina to their third World Cup title after a wait of 36 years in Qatar last December. Meanwhile, as the team returned to the field for the first time since then, fans gathered in large numbers at River Plate’s iconic Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires to mark the celebrations and felicitate the winners.

In a video going viral from the game, the entire team can be seen getting visibly overwhelmed with the response and reception from their fans. While Messi clearly looked emotional and almost in tears, others including Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni also got quite overwhelmed.

Watch: 

Lionel Messi in tears 😢

What a moment as Argentina welcomes back its World Cup winners. pic.twitter.com/Pn9lHAw7uV

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 23, 2023

As shown in the clip, while the team stands in line before the start of the game, crazy Argentina fans can be seen giving a standing ovation amid loud cheers and applause for Messi and Co. Apart from this, fireworks and flares were also let off as the crowd of over 80,000 spectators sang at the top of their lungs in unison.

This gesture undoubtedly moved the team to tears.

Notably, this is not the first time when the World Cup champion received such a reception. Earlier this week, Messi was mobbed by a huge crowd after he went out for dinner with his family. While fans in large numbers gathered outside a restaurant to catch his glimpse, the player also looked quite happy and elated to see his fans cheer for him.

Argentina’s friendlies

In this friendly match played on Thursday, Argentina came out as winners after beating Panama 2-0. While it initially seemed difficult to break the team’s defence, it was finally in the 89th minute when Messi scored a goal with a free-kick. 

This also marked Messi’s 800th career goal on Thursday.

#ARG 🇦🇷 2 - 🇵🇦 0 #PAN | 43 ST | Leo la soltó y la gente lo gritó, de tanto intentar se hizo realidad.

Mirá el partido EN VIVO en https://t.co/fnEKkuadQ9 #SomosMundiales pic.twitter.com/nPKpl0drjZ

— Televisión Pública (@TV_Publica) March 24, 2023