The primary time Yamila Rodriguez’s head popped out of the dugout throughout Argentina’s recreation towards South Africa and her light-blue-tinted hair was seen within the stands, an Argentinian fan sitting close to my seat within the media tribune exclaimed: “Have a look at her, that one is the anti-Messi.”
Rodriguez arrived in the Ladies’ World Cup after being the highest scorer in Copa America 2022, with six objectives. Within the third-place play-off match — a recreation which afforded the winners a spot on the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand — the Albiceleste had been trailing with 12 minutes to go.
In stoppage time, Rodriguez leveled the match and made positive of her aspect’s qualification with a 3rd purpose after Florencia Bonsegundo had made it 2-1 within the closing minute. Rodriguez became the heroine, and they started developing a reputation with Argentina’s followers.
She is a quick participant who likes to dash down the flank and has a watch for purpose. ‘Gambetear,’ as they are saying in Argentina. She has a variety of cheeks on the pitch and thrives in the face of adversity.
Many youngsters wish to be like her, and they were probably the most acclaimed on the nationwide workforce’s farewell once they began their World Cup journey.
She is among the three gamers who come to thoughts should you ask followers about Argentine gamers. She is among the most-loved members of the dressing room.
Hers is the primary purpose scored by a girl within the Bombonera. And they were one of many gamers who 2019 signed direct skilled contracts in Argentina, in a rustic place the league continues to be thought-about semi-professional.
She performs the best way she lives and lives the best way she acts, pushing ahead. It doesn’t matter what.
So given all that, how did she go from being an idol to producing hatred among some followers?
Per week earlier than the beginning of the World Cup, FIFA revealed interviews with a few of the most charismatic gamers from every nationwide workforce. Rodriguez was a choice by Argentina.
In it, the journalist requested her about two of the numerous tattoos that cowl her body.
One among them, on her thigh, is of Diego Armando Maradona. Up to now, so good. However, on the same leg, under the knee — the place the socks and shin guards finish — Cristiano Ronaldo’s face seems.
The historic rivalry between Lionel Messi and the Portuguese is an outlined chapter in soccer’s historical past. This tattoo stunned a few of the followers, who had been unaware of this element, even though she had had it for years.
“I’m at all times requested why Cristiano over Messi? I admire him greatly as an individual and a participant,” Rodriguez defined in the interview. “Cristiano Ronaldo is best each day, he’s my idol, and that’s it.”
And about Maradona, she stated it was “due to what he gave for the nationwide workforce.” A number of the followers took offense, inferring that she was saying Messi didn’t have the identical means of defending the Argentina shirt.
In Argentina, there may be an expression called ‘carpetazo,’ which relates to using a newspaper archive to disseminate compromising details about a public determine.
And that’s what they did. Some followers started to look at Rodriguez’s social networks till they got here through the tweets that, based on them, corroborated that Rodriguez didn’t like Messi.
“Para cuando vuelve a renunciar a la selección el pecho frío este,” (“When will this chilly chest resign from the nationwide workforce once more?”) she wrote on July 2, 2019. It’s a pattern of a few of the tweets — now deleted — that noticed the sunshine of day within the wake of that.
“She will be able to have no matter tattoos she needs — what she will be is a Messi hater,” the Argentina fan who referred to as her anti-Messi at Dunedin Stadium defined to The Athletic.
“She’s a public determine. She will be able to put up the tweets she put up, after which she deletes them. She will be able to count on individuals to neglect that.”
“I’m not doing properly,” Rodriguez wrote on social media, posted above a picture of Ronaldo embracing Messi.
“I by no means stated I used to be anti-Messi,” she wrote. “I by no means can be.”
The fact is Rodriguez has by no means sought to be favored.
Maybe that’s the reason she has at all times recognized Ronaldo. He shares her place in soccer, and they admire him for his soccer skill and persona. He doesn’t care what individuals say; he’s motivated by criticism. She is like that too.
She is a charismatic participant, with all the great and unhealthy that comes with charisma. She had always spoken her thoughts, even when it was politically incorrect.
And talking about her thoughts has led to a couple of controversies.
In 2022 she publicly supported a participant from Boca Juniors, a workforce she additionally performed for and is a fan of.
The participant in the query was Sebastian Villa, who was accused of “gender-based violence” at the time and later given a suspended jail sentence.
“Bancandote siempre mi pana,” (at all times supporting you, my good friend), she posted on her social networks with {a photograph} of herself sporting a Boca Juniors shirt with Villa’s shirt quantity on it.
This prompted a variety of commotion and a barrage of criticism due to the intense accusations towards him.
In Argentina, soccer is as vital — if no more critical — than faith. It’s a nation that could be very passionate about the sport. Look at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, the venue for this thrilling 2-2 draw between Rodriguez’s aspect and South Africa. It’s 12 midday, and all you see on the streets are Argentinians with drums and painted faces. It’s the first match; I see followers from different international locations traveling to the World Cup. The stadium is half empty. However, the followers handle it to make it feel complete.
They have a protracted playlist of songs to sing throughout the match. They usually don’t repeat any of them. After that, you may feel your love of soccer is insignificant.
“In Argentina, soccer is all the pieces. Typically somebody’s father or mom has died, they usually somewhat go to the ‘cancha’ to observe soccer than to the funeral,” an Argentina fan instructed me at half-time of the match.
And on this logic, during which soccer is faith, Messi is on a par with a god of their eyes. To feel that he’s being attacked is to feel they’re instantly pounding the soul of Argentina.
“Whoever is Argentinian loves Messi at all times. He’s all the pieces,” the fan concluded.
However, concerning the love for the Inter Miami participant, it has not always been the case in Argentina that he ought to be past criticism.
Although the general public fiercely helped Messi after lifting Argentina’s third World Cup for the boys’ aspect in December, bringing glory to a rustic nonetheless grieving the loss of life of their beloved Maradona, there was a time that very same public was fiercely essential of him.
The criticism and stress had been so profound that they contributed to Messi prematurely retiring from worldwide responsibility in 2016. Then, inside MetLife Stadium after dropping to Chile on penalties in a Copa America closing, Messi stated his time with the senior workforce was over. “The nationwide workforce is over for me,” he said after struggling with another loss in a significant closing with his crew. (The Argentine federation was in disarray at the moment, with FIFA taking management to scrub issues up.)
Again, critics questioned if Messi may ever dwell as much as Maradona’s legacy. How may he if he didn’t play with delight whereas representing La Albiceleste? How may he if he did not win a World Cup for his nation? The stress was all-consuming. Some may name it poisonous.
That very same poisonous power has now reached Rodriguez, who has requested the general public to cease with the hateful rhetoric on social media, one thing which is hardly serving Las Pibas’ hopes’ of a successful group-stage match.
“We can be in individuals’ heads who consider certain issues; it’s merely a mindset,” Argentina supervisor German Portanova stated earlier than the match towards South Africa.
“To consider one factor doesn’t imply you don’t agree with one thing else. And, appropriately, to elucidate that to individuals, all of that, perhaps, is too cumbersome, and actually, it appears loopy to me.
“To provide the headline: It’s insanity, unbelievable insanity.
“We can enter the minds of all of the individuals who reply very aggressively [on social media]; we simply ask that – [to understand] the opposite aspect of issues. It’s simply an opinion. We aren’t towards anybody. The exact opposite.”
In the match against South Africa, we got here on after half-time. Each group had been enjoying their life. They wanted a distant probability of staying alive in the World Cup.
The South Individuals had been trailing 1-0 and shortly went 2-0 down. However, she modified the workforce and led the comeback.
Sophia Braun made it 1-1 from a lengthy vary with a surprising strike. The workforce awakened, and the second got here. Rodriguez crossed an ideal ball for Romina Nunez, her good friend, to attain the equalizer.
Within the closing minutes, you might inform Rodriguez was determined to attain. For her workforce, for her nation, and presumably additionally for herself. Out of anger, perhaps.
She ran as if her legs didn’t weigh her down—the identical legs were the main focus of the controversy over the previous few days.
The referee blew the ultimate whistle, and Rodriguez dropped to the bottom. Her palms had been on her knees, staring at the sky. As if praying. Possibly she was.
She got here out to talk to the media afterward. I had already been instructed about her charisma, and it took me two seconds to see for myself. She emerged smiling like a storm of criticism and hatred hadn’t fallen on her that week, as if she hadn’t felt compelled to put up a defensive message on social media.
Her brief, mild blue hair — the color of Argentina — caught the attention as quickly as she walked by way of the door of the tunnel. She joked with the journalists. During an interview, she sees a journalist’s good friend passing by, calls out to her, and greets her warmly. The primary query that happens to me to ask her involves me nearly by itself. “How are you?”
“Completely satisfied. Do I look unhappy?” she replies with a smile.
“That’s over now. I’m practical and joyful. If a nasty means, they’re walking. I am going out to take pleasure in myself, snicker, and this lovely sport.
“If I’m unhealthy, I might have gone to my mom to be hugged. However, I’m right here having fun with myself.”
She has many tattoos. Sure, Ronaldo’s and Maradona’s too. However, her neck is probably the most seen and the one which catches my attention. It’s easy; it solely has one phrase. ‘Resiliencia’ (resilience). As she leaves the blended zone with a smile, I believe that is presumably the tattoo that represents her finest.
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