Lionel Messi and Argentina Teammates Nearly Struck by Cables Atop Bus During World Cup Celebration
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Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates are all okay after a celebratory parade almost turned into a scary accident on Tuesday.
Messi, 35, and several of Argentina's players were greeting fans while riding atop a bus in Buenos Aires as they returned home. As the players made their way through the streets, the bus came close to a large telephone wire that nearly struck the athletes, but all ducked in the nick of time.
ESPN Argentina shared a video of the close call.
Translated from Spanish, the outlet wrote, "BE CAREFUL WITH THE CABLES BOYS! Unusual moment in the arrival of the world champions in Argentina."
¡CUIDADO CON LOS CABLES MUCHACHOS! Insólito momento en la llegada de los campeones del mundo a Argentina.
Se le voló la gorra a Leandro Paredes. pic.twitter.com/mUfGmOTQdU— ESPN Argentina (@ESPNArgentina) December 20, 2022
ESPN Argentina also confirmed that player Leandro Paredes' hat "flew off" during the moment.
As seen in the video, Rodrigo De Paul was the player who first noticed the bus heading toward the cables, and he was able to warn his teammates to duck before anyone was injured.
RELATED: Lionel Messi Clarifies He Won't Retire from International Soccer Following World Cup Title Win
ESPN Argentina/Twitter
Argentina has been in celebratory mode since the title win on Sunday, with festivities pouring into the early hours of the morning on Monday. The country's official championship parade will take place on Tuesday.
In a thrilling match that went to extra time and then a shootout between Argentina and the former reigning champion France, Lionel Messi scored two goals to help secure the win for Argentina.
The final score was 3-3 decided in a shootout, which ended 4-2.
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Following Sunday's victory, Messi announced that he would return to Argentina's team, despite previously telling the media that 2022's World Cup would be his last.
Speaking to TyC Sports after Argentina's World Cup title win on Sunday, the 35-year-old soccer star explained, "I won the Copa America and the World Cup in a short time. I love what I do, being in the national team, and I want to continue living a few more games being world champion."
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That statement comes as something of a reversal from what the superstar previously said of possibly winding down his international career. According to The Athletic, Messi said this would be his final time in the World Cup tournament after the semi-final victory over Croatia, leading to speculation he would retire from Argentina. "It's my last World Cup," he said earlier this month.
"I was lucky to have achieved everything in this career ... and this one that was missing is here," he told TyC. "It's madness."
