L'Equipe: Argentine lad fulfills his grandfather's dream by collecting autographs from the championship team to meet Messi.

According to L'Equipe, Argentine fan Gabriel Goldac fulfilled a crazy bet and finally met Messi.

In memory of his grandfather, who passed away before Argentina lifted the World Cup trophy in 2022, Gabriel Goldak set a goal: to have all the Argentine national team players who won the World Cup in Qatar sign a replica of the trophy. After sending hundreds of emails that went unanswered, he finally found his last target – Lionel Messi.

“When I flew to Miami in May, there were still three weeks before the World Cup started, and I had no chance of seeing Messi. I contacted an employee of Inter Miami CF, who said he would try to help me, but he didn’t have much say and couldn’t give me any promises.”

"For months, I tried everything to get Messi's attention, but the vast majority of the nine, nine hundred, even a thousand emails I sent went unanswered. The few who replied said something similar: 'Your story is touching, but I can't help you, I'm sorry.'"

“I feel a little sad, but on the other hand, I understand them. Messi is Messi. He is too high a status. Those who are lucky enough to come into contact with him are afraid of bothering him for such a small matter and losing that channel. I was mentally prepared for this, knowing that his autograph would be the hardest to get.”

From a logistical perspective, the situation is different. "My girlfriend and I used to drive a minivan to so many places, saving money on accommodation and food. But that doesn't work in the US. We have to rent a car, find accommodation, eat out... So for more than a year, we were saving money to cover the expenses for a week there."

“We knew there was a high probability of returning empty-handed, but we tried not to think about it. Never give up, even if it seems impossible—that’s our belief.”

"In my letter, I told Messi that we would wait for him outside the Inter Miami training center for a whole week."

"My plan was to have a club employee pass on a letter I wrote to Messi. In the letter, I made everything clear: I wanted to commemorate my grandfather who passed away before winning the 2022 World Cup, and I had already gotten all the World Cup champions to sign the replica of the trophy, except for him... There were also two photos in the envelope, one of the trophy and one of me and my girlfriend."

"In my letter, I told Messi that we would wait for him outside the Inter Miami training center for a whole week, even if it was 40 degrees Celsius outside. I begged him that if he saw us, he should stop for even just two minutes so that I could finish this story. I also hope to finish this before the start of the World Cup in the United States, and I hope it will bring good luck to the national team."

“I don’t remember the exact day we arrived in Miami, but it was the week of the game against the Philadelphia Union (May 25th, the final round of the MLS season). The day after we arrived in Miami, we went to the training center to scout it out, just like we had done with the other players, to figure out where they came in and out. When we got back the next day, I gave the letter to the club staff member. From then on, everything progressed incredibly fast, far beyond our expectations.”

I was so shocked I could barely speak.

"Two hours later, to our great surprise, the contact person came back to us. We picked up our luggage, the Argentine flag that had traveled with us all over the world, and the replica of the trophy, and followed him inside. We waited for a while in a small room with a security guard watching the surveillance footage. Then we were led to a room that was like an office and warehouse, used by the club's support staff."

"There, the staff member who received my letter told us to wait a little longer, saying that Leo had just finished training and would be over after showering. I still couldn't believe what was happening. Ten minutes later, Messi pushed open the door and introduced himself like an ordinary player. He said, 'Hi, I'm Leo! How are you?' This guy's humility was incredible."

"I had imagined the scene would be him rolling down his window, me handing him the replica of the trophy, and we'd talk for about thirty seconds, and that would be it. But instead, I ended up having a private time with him. He was warm, open, and incredibly curious about my story and me. It completely exceeded my expectations. I was so shocked and nervous that I could barely speak. I just tried to answer his questions, but I couldn't recall the specifics. Everything happened so fast; I felt like my brain hadn't even had time to process what was happening. (laughs)"

“I remember we talked about Mendoza, the city where I was born, and Godoy Cruz, the club that my grandfather and I supported. I gave him a jersey, and he looked really touched. We also talked about the World Cup, which I remember very clearly.”

"At that time, we didn't know if he would actually participate in the World Cup; it hadn't been officially announced yet. I told him that we were pushing this project forward with all our might right before the tournament started because I felt it would bring them good luck. He smiled at me and said, 'Thank you, I'm fully prepared.' At that moment, I knew, no problem, he would go. I could finally breathe a sigh of relief and wait patiently for the first match. (laughs)"

"It felt like being with a neighbor or an old high school friend."

"There's a saying, 'Never meet your idol.' Despite having read all the positive stories about him, I was still a little nervous. But I wasn't disappointed at all; quite the opposite. I don't know if he had heard of me or talked to other players before reading my letter, but he was 100% engaged with us that day. He wanted to know more about the trophy replica, how we got to this point, and his sincerity really touched me. After all, he's such a normal person. To many, he's a living legend, but I felt like I was with a neighbor or a high school friend. It was amazing. I think if I hadn't been so nervous, he might have suggested we grab some pizza and keep talking."

“I regret not being better prepared, but I am also very grateful for the experience and everything that has happened since the project was launched. At the end of the day, I am just an ordinary person. Someone who grew up in a very poor family and tried to make a living by working (assembling bicycles). I have no fame or connections, and to be able to do this under such conditions—sleeping in my car most of the time, balancing work, my recently resumed studies (a sophomore in psychology), and the non-profit organization I founded—makes me very proud.”

"But the story doesn't end there. After Messi said goodbye to us, that club employee came to us again. He asked us how we were feeling, and I showed him my still trembling hands. Then we talked about the game against Philadelphia, the last round of the season. He asked us if we would go to the stadium, and we said we couldn't because the tickets were too expensive, and we only had enough money to stay in Miami for a week. So he said, 'Give me your number, and I'll text you.' A few hours later, we had two tickets, which was unbelievable."

“If I remember correctly, that game ended 6-4 (Inter Miami won), and it was the first time I had actually seen Messi play live, whereas I had seen him on TV hundreds of times before. He didn’t score, and I even yelled at him twice—he chose to pass to a teammate instead of shooting himself when facing the goalkeeper. (laughs) But of course, I was satisfied.”

“I think if my grandfather were still alive, and I told him all this, he would be both happy and incredulous. He would smoke one cigarette after another—he was a heavy smoker—and say, ‘I can’t believe my eyes, Gabo. Once you’ve made up your mind…it might take longer than you think, but you really did it.’ Come to think of it, the story is really crazy.”

"I've always wanted to write it into a book. Not necessarily to make money, but to give it to the people around me, those who have helped me. And to future generations of children, so they know that nothing is impossible if you believe. I've already written the first chapter, but the World Cup is in full swing, and I'm too emotional to write anymore. It takes me three days to recover after watching every Argentine match. It's too agonizing. (laughs)"