KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — As reigning champions Argentina returned to the World Cup stage Tuesday, there was no drive too long and no ticket too pricey for its most fervent fans.Three fans bicycled nearly 11,000 miles (17,700 kilometers) from South America to Kansas City, Missouri — without tickets in hand. One group drove 20 hours, living off sandwiches to save money. Daniel Otero, a 73-year-old attending his seventh tournament, is shelling out around $100,000 so he and his two sons can watch the team play over the coming weeks.“We are crazy for Argentina,” he said. “That’s why we spend so much money to see our country, our national team.”The obsession was on full display in Kansas City as the team made opened its World Cup defense against Algeria, in front of a raucous pro-Argentina crowd. Captaining the team is the legendary Lionel Messi who, turning 39 next week, could be playing in his last World Cup.
“Argentina now is like the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan,” said Juan Martin, 43, of Buenos Aires, Argentina. “In his prime, he had fans around the world. Argentina has fans around the world with Messi.”
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Martin plans to spend the next month following the team with his girlfriend, 31-year-old Agostina Gomez Uvia, a quest that he estimates will cost them $20,000 each. Similarly Otero is spending $40,000 on tickets alone. Otero and his son, Franco Otero, 27, marveled that U.S. families also were wearing Argentina jerseys, emblazoned with Messi’s name.
