“I knew a lot of people wanted Messi and team tattoos because they booked me before the final,” said tattoo artist Sebastian Arguello Paz, wearing the jersey of national goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. “I never thought there would be a queue at the shop the next day.”
A day after Argentina beat France on penalties in a thrilling final, Arguello said his studio phone was constantly being asked questions about Messi’s tattoo, the World Cup and the Argentine flag.
Ramiro Solis, 44, said: “I decided not to get any more tattoos, but when I saw Messi lift the cup, I was convinced that this man deserves a tattoo.”
From the studio of Andres de Winter, Cristian Grillo got a side tattoo of the number 10 Messi shirt supporting the World Cup trophy and three stars, saying he wanted to pay tribute with something “different, special: just like him”. Huh.
De Winter is preparing a large-scale design of the entire “Scaloneta”, as the Lionel Scaloni-coached national team is known.