Residents of the city of Rosario, where Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi was born, have high hopes that he will return to the country with the World Cup trophy.
The 35-year-old has steered his side to the World Cup final by beating last year's runners-up Croatia 3-0 in the semi-final and will be taking on the defending champions France in the final showdown.
The city, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Buenos Aires, is packed with murals of Messi, especially in La Bajada, a middle-class neighborhood where he grew up before moving to Barcelona.
There, both locals and tourists are die-hard fans of Messi and hope the star will lead his team to win Sunday’s final in what will be his last World Cup game for Argentina.
Andrea Sosa, one of Messi’s early teachers, said Messi winning the championship would be “the icing on the cake” for his career.
The FIFA World Cup trophy is the only highlight which is missing from the Argentine's trophy cabinet and on Sunday, Messi will be hoping for a fairytale ending to his glorious international career.
Also Read: Watch Argentina vs Croatia highlights: Messi’s men romp home with 3-0 victory