The obsession over Lionel Messi worldwide is known; how does Argentina media treat him? Perhaps, there is a clue in the breathless coverage in their newspapers. The ole.com has reserved acres on how Spanish newspaper have Messi in their front pages and also has this interesting nugget about sleeping arrangements of Messi at Qatar.
The headline of the story runs: Messi's room in Qatar: why does he sleep alone?
Why indeed? Don't the players usually get a private room in these times? Apparently not. The website informs us that Messi usually shared a room with Sergio Aguero. But Aguero, whose nickname 'Kun' is taken from a Japanese cartoon 'Kum-Kum' he used to religiously watch as a kid and apparently looked like the main character of the show, isn't playing at Qatar world cup. Hence, Messi has decided to go solo.
Messi's room number is also detailed: Room B-201 at the University of Qatar. “He will sleep alone, without company, for the first time in a FIFA competition,” informs Ole, adding, “In fact, the next room, B-202, has Rodrigo and Ota, and B-204, which is opposite, has Paredes with Di María , who will surely go from one room to another for the traditional mateadas and matches.”
Lionel Messi-led Argentina have opted to stay at student halls instead of the 5-star luxury hotels in Qatar so that they can carry on their tradition of having beef barbeques. Argentina, one of the favourites to lift the trophy this year, arrived in Qatar on Thursday and went straight to the expansive Qatar University campus.
Though their accommodation might be modest, the Argentina team will have little reason to complain as it will enable them to have their fillings of asados, Argentina's traditional barbecues. According to the reports, beef from Argentina has been flown in to Qatar for exactly this very reason. There will also be asado chef to ensure that it is cooked just as it would be in Argentina.
“This is very important to the players and Argentines in general, it's part of our culture. We want to make them feel at home while they are in Qatar and the best way to do this is to make sure that they get a taste of home while focusing on the football,' the report at Daily Mail quoted an Argentina Football Association source.