Hawke’s Bay’s Argentine community has the Hand of God on their side

Hawke's Bay's Argentine football fans get ready for the World Cup semifinal match against Croatia in Qatar. Photo / Hamish Bidwell

Even with the Pope, the Messiah and the Hand of God on his side, Argentine football fan Santiago De Marco is keeping the defibrillator handy.

These are heady days for Hawke’s Bay’s community of Argentine expats. Around 6000 of De Marco’s countrymen and women call New Zealand home, and all are hugely invested in Argentina’s fortunes at the Fifa World Cup.

Led by Lionel - ‘the Messiah’ - Messi, Argentina meet Croatia in the first of the tournament semifinals on Wednesday morning (NZ time), having begun their campaign with a shock loss to Saudi Arabia.

“It might not always be perfect, but it’s always very, very passionate,” De Marco said of Argentine football.

De Marco came to Hawke’s Bay to work at Hōhepa for a year. That was in 1999.

He’s still there, having progressed through to becoming general manager in that time.

The love of Argentina and its football has never waned, though, and there’s a high level of excitement around the notion that Messi might finally win the World Cup title that’s eluded him.

“And we also draw inspiration from Diego Maradona,’’ said De Marco.

“He’s passed away, and in the songs you hear from the stadiums [in Qatar], you’re hearing all the time that the Pope is Argentinian - he might give us a hand. Or the other hand might be given by Diego, who gave us a hand when he was alive - the Hand of God - but now we don’t need God anymore, because we’ve got Diego there, and you can bet a lot of kids will be called Lionel after the World Cup.

“There will be a generation of Argentinians who will be named Lionel after Lionel Messi.’’

It’s impossible to overstate what the 35-year-old Messi means to Argentinians.

When he made his international debut in 2005, many of his 2022 teammates were only boys.

“These players have watched Messi play 1000 [club and international] games; they’ve been inspired by him all their lives. Some make reference to him as ‘the Messiah’. They won the Copa America against Brazil last year, and now they are dreaming of the World Cup,’’ De Marco said.

De Marco has the Hato Hone St John Ambulance number saved in his phone and has checked the defibrillator is working, as everyone rides the emotional rollercoaster with this team.

“Passion” is a word he uses a lot, and that’s not confined to the country of his birth.

“For the Argentinians living in New Zealand and working in all industries, there’s a genuine love and passion for being here. There’s a lot of similarities between the New Zealand and Argentinian way of life, around barbecues and the beach and good weather and friendships and a laid-back, relaxing way of life. Hardworking, but enjoying life,’’ said De Marco.

“I called a few people today [to arrange a photo], and everyone comes with their spouse and their kids. There’s a strong family culture, and we often get together for barbecues and a lamb on the spit.”