I have relistened to this Last Cup series three times. This story of Messi, Argentina, immigration, and being human is so powerful, so well told. Thank you Jasmine Garsd, NPR, soccer players and fans everywhere. Our World needs to play, win, lose, and celebrate Home🌎🌍🌏 Now a Messi and soccer fan forever. With love to our messy world, we will make it⚽️💖

i’m not entirely sure the journalist knows that much about football. but also her story isn’t that interesting. i’m not sure why so much time is spent on her reminiscing

He sonriedo, riedo y llorado, gracias. Para mi, Español es una lengua segunda. Finalmente tenga algo tan interesante, tan claro, que puede escuchar en español dos veces, entendiendo casi 95% la premia vez.

I am Argentine expat so this podcast was very special to me. Jasmine parallels her story with that of Messi. Leaving Argentina and the difficulty in returning. There is no consistent flow in the story between 5 and the end. For the football part, there are misconceptions. Jasmine implies fans are still frustrated with Messi after 2014-2016. This was the local media. She skips over 2014, Copa América Centenario, and Sampaoli in the 2018 World Cup (which had Scaloni). She also skips over Scalonis rise thanks to the U20 World Cup success Jasmine bizarrely discredits Emiliano Martinez’ impact in penalties and his knowledge in kicker and goalkeeper psychology by talking about our superstitions or “cabalas” and “anulo mufa” (I cancel your jynx attempt). I would have appreciated a mention of this vs Colombia and France. It is also would have been worth mentioning some butterfly effects that enabled Argentina and Messi to be successful in 2022. 1. Emiliano Martínez gaining a starting spot at Arsenal thanks to a Leno injury. 2. COVID-19 giving a chance for Martinez and Álvarez to play for Argentina and River Plate respectively.

Great work !! You’re parallels with Messi’s life are very well woven !!

Please do another with the same production / reporting team!

Me encanto este podcast Yo vivo en CA, nacido en Cordoba en 1954 y mi familia emigró a Estados Unidos en 1964. Este Podcast me pego muy fuerte emocionalmente. Yo he sentido muchas de las emociones describidlas en este podcast… si eres emigrante escúchalo… no es solo de football.. es de la vida siendo emigrante.

Dies puntos!

A great show that could still have been better. As a longtime sports fan but a newly christened futbol fanatic, i LOVED the details and background of Messi’s career and Argentinas futbol roots. But the show was truly amazing and ‘next level’ when Jasmine shared her personal story and found the connections to the sporting story. After all- who doesnt love a great tale of love, commitment, loss and redemption.

This was such a great story that needed to be told during WC 2022. Even better was Messi’s ultimate triumph!

Where is the next episode ? Wonderful story and great timing but missing the last touch !!! Please create more, very enjoyable - thank you

This is one of my favorite podcast of all time. The parallel stories of Jasmine and Messi really resonated with me. I will keep Jasmine’s words in my mind forever. She’s a great journalist and I can’t wait to hear more from her.

While it’s true the series does touch on class, immigration and identity in regards to Messi’s journey; a significant portion of the podcast focuses on the journalist’s personal family history and their identity as an Argentine. Jasmine interrupts the flow of the story too often to relate Messi’s story to her own. There’s nothing wrong with that as a premise for a podcast but not including that important detail within the description is a bit misleading and feels mostly filler to the listener.

Por articular lo que muchos inmigrantes sienten, añoranza, desplazamiento. Encantador podcast pero lamentable dar una plataforma a un boludo como Azzaro, payaso mercenario.

Jazmín—nos encanta tu estilo de contar tu historia y hacer la comparación/analysis con Messi y el fútbol argentino. El podcast es buenísimo. ¡Gracias!

I am not Argentinian but was yearning for Argentina to win. Little did I know what this world cup meant to Messi and more importantly to Argentinians. I am glad I have much more context. This win means so much more and is going to turn into a timeless tale. Loved the parallels between Messia journey and journey of expats like myself. Great storytelling. Thank you for making and sharing this podcast. One of the best sports podcasts I’ve ever listened to.

I was lucky enough to be in Buenos Aires for the semis and final. Learning to love futbol like a real Argentinian (we’ll, as much as I could). This is great storytelling and amazing story of Messi. I now have a #10 jersey I got at Alto mall off Bulnes in Palermo.

Ojala pudiera describir de la forma que lo haces como me impacto este podcast. Soy imigrante Venezolano y fan de Messi y la Albiceleste. Llevo al igual que muchos esperando este momento. De mas esta decir la alegría y sentimiento el dia de la final, LA ÚLTIMA COPA YA ES DE MESSI. Le he recomendado el podcast a todos mis amigos, inmigrantes o no, fans del Fútbol o no. Hay un mensaje para todos. Ahora soy tu fan. Mucho exito!

Sarah Garsd, you managed to beautifully intertwine futbol with the concepts of coming home, leaving home, being an ex-pat, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed listening. And congratulations to Argentina and Messi! I loved watching them March to victory.

I wanted to learn more about Messi and the context surrounding his career, but 60% of what I hear are the podcast host’s naval-gazey stories comparing her own story of immigrating to the US with Messi. I’m 3 episodes in and about to quit this altogether..

Congratulations on winning The Cup, Jasmine!! Maybe it was YOUR podcast that brought home the Trophy!

I also had a dream that Argentina won the World Cup, 5-0 against the Netherlands after they got into the final. Maybe this would be for 2026! As a Chinese immigrant and a Messi fan living in Brooklyn with my Salvadoran husband (who’s a Real Madrid fan and has a love/hate relationship with Messi) and our 2 mixed race children, the yearning for belonging is tremendous and complex. The fact that you could hope and dream about your national team could one day win the World Cup bears so much emotion and pride that I could never have with the Chinese men’s soccer team. Now that Messi and team have done it, I am SOOOO happy for you and Argentina! We screamed so hard when they won!!! Nevertheless, I really love how you told yours and Messi story at this moment in the way you did. Nevertheless, this story is for your abuela as much as it is for you. 💙💙💙

I just want to let you know that Argentina won, not because of all the candles lit and offerings to Diego. It was because I wore my Argentina t-shirt without washing it from the quarter finals and I made my 90 year old mother stay in bed, until the game was over, so her energy couldn’t curse the team, and Argentina quedó campeón del mundo!!!! Jk, everyone’s rituals came together to make it happen! As a good Sicilian, I am very superstitious. Believe me through the tv, I sent the “malocchio” to France!!! There’s no way they would have won and they’re poor losers. The fact that they’re posting pictures of the Argentine players running on to the field, before, during, or after Messi’s goal, and putting Messi’s jersey on the floor of the entrance to a bar for people to walk on show little class and why they lost in the first place. They were cocky, especially Mbappé, with his smirk, they deserved to go home losers. We can break down every play and debate whether the that goal should have stood or if the Mbappé penalty was deserved, if the hand ball was intentional, etc, etc, etc!!!!!! The grand majority of the world accepts that Argentina was the better team on the day, that they battled through the whole tournament, and deserve to be Campeones del Mundo. As long as I have lived in the U.S. it still floors me that people here can be so oblivious to the World Cup, like the ones that asked what was going on in Times Square. As elated as I am about this victory, part of me misses living in Buenos Aires, “where fútbol is life”, where I could have celebrated with millions of people, who live and breathe the beautiful game! I live in Burbank, CA. and I didn’t hear one car horn beep after the victory, and I didn’t hear anyone else yelling at the top of their lungs, Argentina Campeon del Mundo!!!!!! It still brings tears to my eyes and recalling the emotion of Andres Cantor, screaming and crying, those words pulls at my heart strings and my eyes well up with tears. I remember living in Buenos Aires, in 1978 , when Argentina won its first World Cup. The crowds of people gathered to celebrate the car horns beeping, but last Sunday, I only heard my own screams of pure delight and not one car horn. In my humble opinion, this country will never equal the display of the mass of people that came together in Buenos Aires, to celebrate with the team during their victory parade. I am grateful that I witnessed one of the greatest sporting events of all time. I know that Diego, Don Diego, La Tota, and my father were above that stadium in Qatar willing Argentina to victory. ¡Muy bien hecho! ¡Es genial, me encanta! Me identifico totalmente con dejar un país que amas y preguntarte si alguna vez volverás. Tengo dos países que añoro, Italia y Argentina. Nací en Italia, pero solo viví allí dos años y luego solo volví de vacaciones a lo largo de los años. Me mudé a Argentina cuando tenía 4 años. Crecí jugando al fútbol, ​​la única chica jugando con los chicos. Mi padre era fanático del fútbol, ​​me enseñó a jugar y heredé su pasión por el juego. Viví en Argentina durante la década de 1970, uno de los peores períodos en la historia de Argentina, debido a la dictadura y la “guerra sucia”. Me encantó Buenos Aires. Hubo momentos de miedo, con bombas explotando en la casa del un general, que sacudieron tanto nuestra cas, que me desperté en el piso de mi habitación. Teníamos guardias y tuvimos que huir durante dos años a Uruguay, porque mi familia estaba en una lista de personas que los terroristas apuntaban a matar. Yo era tan joven que no entendía lo que estaba pasando, lo único que sabía era que amaba Buenos Aires y el fútbol. Crecí viendo a Maradona. Él era mi héroe, mi familia y amigos me apodaban Maradona, porque era petisa, tenía piernas musculosas y podía jugar mejor que los chicos. Vivía en Argentina durante '78 cuando se jugo el Mundial en Argentina. Viví para jugar y me convertí en un gran fanática de Italia y Argentina. Me mudé a los Estados Unidos cuando tenía 12 años. ¡Fue un choque cultural! Regresé cuando tenía 15 años, pero tuve que regresar a los EE. UU. y no he vuelto a la Argentina desde el '84. A pesar de no haber nacido en Argentina, hay una parte de mí que es muy argentina, y siempre voy a apoyar a Argentina. Primero apoyo a Italia, pero me han roto el corazón dos Copas del Mundo seguidas. ¡Amo a Messi y se merece ganar una Copa del Mundo! Es el mejor jugador del mundo. El mejor de todos los tiempos y merece ser respetado y apreciado. ¡Vamos Messi, y Vamos Argentina! Me pregunto cuándo y si regresaré a la Argentina y cómo seré recibida. Este podcast realmente habla del sentimiento que he tenido durante décadas, el anhelo de volver a un lugar que amas y al que llamas tu hogar.

I had a great time listening to this podcast and hearing the many Argentine perspectives and traditions of their soccer team. The center of Messi’s experience of being Argentinian but sometimes not feeling loved or viewed as it was insightful. Finally, I think this podcast narrator hit on a lot of experiences anyone feels like when they leave their country, their comfort, or their home.

Ty so much Messi!!!!

What an amazingly well done podcast! I have close to zero soccer knowledge so this was absolutely a great listen after my first time watching the World Cup! You all did a great job humanizing Messi, migration and the universal concept that so many can relate to of leaving home, bravo!

What a World Cup it has been and the final was the best I have ever seen. Your podcast was a great companion. Perfect timing to create the story and a great host that I don’t think I heard before. I couldn’t wait to hear the next podcast, and especially hear Jasmine’s voice (especialmente en espanol). Muchisima gracias!!!

Thanks for the podcast. One of the best and very entertaining and attention grabbing. I cried a few times while listening it.

Please, you have to do an episode about what this means to everyone now that we have the final result. I am a grown man with tears filling my eyes randomly throughout the day whenever I think about this game, the struggle, the suffering, and the victory of a lifetime. I can’t get over it. I am not from Argentina, but I lived there for some time, and I met my wife there. She left Argentina 10 years ago to come to the USA and build a life here with me. Your story was so familiar. It feels like billions of people around the world have a deep personal connection to this story, and to this team, and to Messi. We are collectively swept up in the energy of this moment. It’s beyond fútbol. So many in the world needed this win. Vamos Messi! Vamos Argentina, campeones del Mundo!

Esperamos tu final feliz, viene un episodio más?

As an Iraqi American who left “home” same age as Messi and Jasmine and a lover of soccer; this was so relatable on many levels! This is much more than soccer, especially the podcast about returning “home” but it’s not home anymore hit hard! Excellent podcast ❤️

Jasmine’s narrative of this real life saga is powerful, touching and exceptional. Being a very young immigrant myself from a world obsessed with soccer/football to another not so, I am allowed to be biased ( even though I am not Latin) But, I must say, regardless of the World Cup outcome- (amazing), Jasmine weaves such a captivating real life story that left me desperately waiting for the next episode. I’m so happy for the Argentine outcome but even more so im excited to hear what the narrator, Jasmine has in store for us next. She is the new “Messi” in my humble opinion

I enjoyed every minute of it!

Hi. Love the podcast. Waiting for episode 7 in Spanish. I hope you’re not done yet.

Great podcast! Super informative, I learned so much about Messi and felt really connected to him and the Argentina team during the World Cup because of the deep understanding of the struggle and el sueño del pibe. Also I thought it was really refreshing that the host of the podcast was a woman, and perhaps that’s why it resonated with me so much. One request- can we get a final episode as a reaction to the win?? I want to hear what some of the podcast contributors would say now! Thanks!!

I had been looking for a resolution to all that was exposed, the thin wires, shorting constantly after the rawest world cup final I have seen. This helped, but, also, created some new wiring.

Te la comiste con este podcast! Congratulations a todos los Argentinos y gracias por darnos un poco de Esperanza a todos los imigrantes de arrancar el Motor!!

Do one more after the win

I write this as an outsider in Argentina, where hundreds of thousands of people are already on the move to see the new World Cup champions greet their people. But that road was certainly not direct for Lionel Messi, as I learned here. But it isn’t just about soccer—it is also about the immigrant experience, whether or not you can go “home” again, and where is home anyhow? Plus every episode is offered in both English and Argentine Spanish (Castellano). 🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷

WOW WOW WOW 🤩🇦🇷!I have to admit your podcast made me root for Messi and Argentina’s FC as my picks were weeded out as the tournament progressed. It made the win that much sweeter! A storybook ending to a Cinderella story that started with your podcast. Savor this win!! Congrats!!👏🏽👏🏽

This was the most incredible, informative, and well done podcast about a legend of soccer that I would never have appreciated before listening to all of the episodes.My daughter teaches Spanish-speaking children and has played soccer herself so it was especially gratifying to be able to forward to her the link to this podcast series. Both of my children played soccer and that is how I got into the game but this podcast got me more excited about watching soccer than anything else I have ever heard or seen. Well done! Keep doing it, it was awesome!!

Excellent job Jasmine. Argentina campeón!!!!!. Now, we need one more episode with an interview to Lionel Messi please!!!

Terrific show, and eye-opening. Thank you for the history and your own story - and motivating me to watch this World Cup!

Such a stunning piece that unpacks all the beautiful layers of longing, the beautiful game, the complexities of being an immigrant and no matter where you go, “you always miss someone”. I started listening because I’m a Messi fan but was surprised how much it impacted me also as an immigrant female that’s always longing and coming to peace with it.

Beautiful story telling. Empathetic, vulnerability that gives you goose bumps and tears. Thank you for this podcast, for Messi’s story and yours. It has healed a part of me that went home recently and realized that I can’t go back. You helped me know it’s okay, and that I have been using that longing to drive me and will continue to do so.

Was able to listen to this leading up to the World Cup final and it was an excellent primer and got me super pumped for Messi and Argentina as a sports fan. Fantastic origins story of Messi, Argentina soccer, and immigration experiences. Very well done

So beautiful. I laughed, I cried, and for the first time I walked away rooting for Argentina in this World Cup. But the story goes beyond soccer, it will speak to anyone who’s ever had to leave their home country at a young age.

Un programa tan especial con detalles e historia de Messi, del fútbol en Argentina y de todo lo que pasó en ese bello país en esos días. Lo mejor es la exploración de la historia del migrante. A tale woven beautifully into the story of soccer in Argentina, Messi and the bitter sweet plight of the migrant having to choose opportunity over home, never knowing how the path not chosen would have turned out.

I really enjoyed learning Messi’s professional history. However, I wish it addressed how he got the nickname “La Pulga”.

As a fan of Argentina and an as immigrant in the United States, this podcast makes a fantastic job to describe the connections between the Argentina culture and events with this amazing team, thanks so much for this piece of work. this podcast brought so many memory’s of my home country and now I feel part of the añoranza team..