Jiang Hao changed into the Argentina national team jersey, which was prepared in advance, with the name "Messi" printed on it and the number 10 belonging to him.
It was Jiang Hao's idea to come to Qatar to watch the final. The flights, hotels and tickets for the finals cost Jiang Hao more than 70,000 yuan, which is several times more than the cost.
"My ex-girlfriend loves Messi, and for us, he is youth." Farewell to youth, Jiang Hao came to a crazy say, he said, "I hope Messi's last World Cup does not have regrets, but also hope that our youth does not have regrets."
Temporary decision to fly to Qatar, because his ex-girlfriend likes Messi
Jiang Hao is 30 years old, a native of Hunan. As originally envisioned, he would live a routine life and become a top Chinese language teacher in the industry after attending university in Hunan.
After graduating from university, Jiang Hao chose a challenging path, traveling between Turkey, Dubai and China to work in the financial industry. Jiang Hao's fearlessness has become a label for his friends.
At 6:57 p.m. Beijing time, Jiang Hao sent a friend's circle, "Qatar, I'm coming". At this moment, Jiang Hao is in the United Arab Emirates, he temporarily bought a ticket at 2:10 a.m. local time, the destination is the capital of Qatar, Doha.
"I am going to see the World Cup final, to witness Messi's last World Cup." Jiang Hao's purpose is clear, his favorite player is Argentina's No. 10 Messi, who is his youth. "Messi's rise like a new star was exactly when our generation of post-nineties started watching soccer. My ex-girlfriend is now in Chengdu and her favorite player is Messi, and when I was with her, we would watch football together and watch every Messi game together. He is my youth."
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To Jiang Hao's surprise, this World Cup, Messi led Argentina into the final round. He made a crazy decision to buy tickets. "From Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates to Doha, Qatar, there is only one flight, at 2:00 a.m. or so. The local hotel prices are so expensive, the cheapest night needs more than 4,800 yuan. And the ticket price for the final is even more crazy." Jiang Hao calculated an account, he booked a night of hotel, plus airfare and final tickets, this trip needs at least 70,000 yuan. "The original price tickets for the final have long been snapped up, so you can only pay a high price for them. If you book them long in advance, you can actually get them for just over 20,000 yuan."
The stadium side was full of "Messi" wearing No. 10
Jiang Hao landed at Doha International Airport at about 3 a.m. local time in Qatar. The soccer atmosphere instantly drowned out his fatigue.
There are World Cup elements everywhere, with a large sculpture of the Qatar World Cup emblem at the airport, cartoons of the Chaos Pi mascot everywhere, and Jiang Hao changing into the Argentina national team's jersey, which is emblazoned with "Messi" and the number 10.
After a short break at the hotel, Jiang hailed a car in front of the hotel and set off for the stadium at 20:00 GMT, three hours before the match was due to begin.
"I didn't know until I arrived that Dec. 18 is Qatar's national day, and they should have specially chosen to hold the World Cup final on that day, so it's extra lively. I was in Doha, the atmosphere of the World Cup is very strong, listening to the locals say, the whole Qatar is in a strong atmosphere of the World Cup, they hold the whole country in the celebration of the World Cup. Of course, the country wasn't that big originally." In Jiang Hao's footage, the streets of Qatar are draped with small flags of each World Cup participating country. Under the setting sun, the square around the stadium was packed with fans of different colors and from all over the world. The theme song of each World Cup was played over the square in turn.
On the eve of the final showdown between Argentina and France, fans wearing all kinds of jerseys gradually disappeared and were replaced by two huge support groups made up of fans from different countries. Waving blue, white and red flags, wrapping blue, white and red around their wrists, wrapping them around their necks and painting them on their faces, the French fans raised their hands and sang a support song, one louder than the other, and at a glance, they were a dense mass of fans.
Not to be outdone, the Argentine fans, dressed in their trademark blue-and-white striped jerseys and wearing plugged blue-and-white feathered tiaras, walked and sang and danced their way to the stadium. The procession also included a number of Qatari locals, who waved and sang along with the vast contingent of Argentine fans, wearing white robes and white turbans.
"I asked a lot of local fan friends, fans from Africa, the Middle East, India, Pakistan, generally support Argentina to win the championship, while fans from Europe, Japan, the United States and these places, most of them support the French team to win the championship." Near the start of the match, more and more fans flocked to the stadium, and the singing, dancing and celebrations in the square were even more intense. Jiang Hao found an interesting phenomenon, at a glance, everywhere is wearing No. 10 Messi jersey Argentine fans, feel everywhere is "Messi".
"I guess the score is Argentina 2-1 victory over France, I hope the French team under the leadership of Mbappe to win the runner-up, I hope Messi's World Cup tour can be a successful conclusion." Jiang Hao invited a friend to watch the final with him, and the other supported the French team. "I heard him say that after Croatia's match against Morocco the night before, the traffic jam lasted for three hours, so I hope we can still be pleasant and friendly even in the post-match revelry and traffic jam."
Xiaoxiang Morning Post reporter Zhou Lingru