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Three Argentina fans who once rode their bikes from Argentina to Kansas City made another trip this week — this time by car from Dallas — just to sing "Happy Birthday" to Lionel Messi.
Yamandu Martínez, Miguel Silio and Vicente Conculini say they drove more than 10 hours to be outside the Argentina team's hotel in Kansas City when Messi turned 39.
"Because we want to be part of that celebration, greet Messi, and sing him happy birthday," Miguel said.
The trio had been in Dallas for Argentina's second match, but made the drive to Kansas City specifically for the celebration.,
They plan to return to Dallas to try to get into Saturday's match.
"We came back just for this, and then we're going back to Dallas to try to get into Saturday's match," Vicente said.
The fans sang "Happy Birthday" at 10 a.m. — a deliberate choice tied to Messi's iconic jersey No. 10.
"In Argentina, there's a tradition of singing at 10:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. in honor of Messi's number 10," Vicente said.
For those gathered, the day carried deep meaning.
"Because he is the number 10 of our national team, it's a special day for him, and we want to share it with him," Yamandu said.
Juliet Avera, who lives in Kansas City and is originally from Argentina, said Messi's significance to the country is difficult to put into words.
"He is almost quite literally like a god," she said. "They worship him. He's everywhere. Most people would do almost anything for him."
Monica Paredes took the day off from work to be part of the celebration.
''Number one'' Paredes said, referring to Messi.
"Something beautiful, even if I have to miss work, it's something beautiful to be able to share with the family," Paredes said.
Jorge Mazzeo, who is also from Argentina and now lives in Kansas City, described what Messi means to him.
"A lot. He means joy, happiness," Mazzeo said. "He's the one who brings us joy every time we watch him play."
For Mazzeo, the moment felt historic.
"And today is very emotional," he said. "I really never thought we would get to be at one of Messi's birthdays, especially not in Kansas. We hope he keeps going, keeps playing, and hopefully has one more World Cup in him."
Vicente said the trip was worth every mile.
"Messi represents Argentina very well," Vicente said. "He's a great player, and since it's his birthday, we'd like to be here."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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