Like Jeong Mong-jun in 2002... 'President Messi' Approval Rating at 44%

Argentine Citizens Say "We Will Elect President Messi"
However, Actual Presidential Candidacy Is Unlikely
Result of Mixed Economic Hardship and Intense Football Passion

In the recently concluded 2022 Qatar World Cup, Argentina won the championship, and a local public opinion poll revealed that Lionel Messi has a high chance of winning if he runs for president.

On the 28th (local time), the French media outlet Le Parisien reported, "An Argentine research company conducted a small-scale poll on Messi's popularity," stating that 44% of Argentine citizens responded that they would vote for Messi as the next president in this survey.

Argentina national football team captain Lionel Messi (35) is celebrating after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match against the Netherlands held in Doha, Qatar on the 10th (local time).

In a recent simple poll conducted by the Argentine polling agency 'Giacobe y Asociados' targeting 2,500 Argentine internet users, 43.7% of respondents said they would support Messi if he ran for president. Those who said they would not support him accounted for 37.8%, and 17.5% were undecided.

Messi also ranked first in support in a survey that included politicians who are likely to actually run in the 2023 Argentine presidential election. In this survey, Messi's support rate was 36.7%, more than three times higher than that of Javier Milei, a member of the House of Representatives, who ranked second with 12%. Third place was former President and current Vice President Cristina Kirchner with 11%.

Before Argentina won the 2022 Qatar World Cup, former Argentine President Mauricio Macri made headlines by saying, "If Messi leads Argentina to victory, I would strongly recommend him as the next president." In a recent interview with the Spanish media Marca, former President Macri said, "If he wins, is there really a need to hold the presidential election next year?" adding, "It is obvious that all the people will vote for Messi as president."

Of course, the possibility of Messi actually running for president is very low. Also, even if Messi does run for president, it cannot be guaranteed that he will receive such high support. However, this highlights how Messi, who has risen to the ranks of the greatest player in history with this World Cup victory, is regarded in Argentina.

The Argentina national football team held a car parade in Buenos Aires, the capital, on the 20th (local time) to celebrate their victory in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The Argentine government designated the day of the team's return as a public holiday to commemorate the World Cup win after 36 years.

Meanwhile, Argentina is currently facing a national default crisis due to economic difficulties. If it defaults this time, it will be the 10th national default. In a situation where the national economy is in shambles, the victory of the Argentine national football team led by Messi brought great happiness to the Argentine people. Although it is unlikely to become a reality, the high support for Messi among the Argentine people can be seen as evidence of Argentina's passionate love for football as well as the bleak current economic situation.

Meanwhile, a similar phenomenon occurred in South Korea in 2002. Based on the enthusiasm of the 'World Cup semifinal miracle,' Chung Mong-joon, then chairman of the Korea Football Association, emerged as a leading presidential candidate, and at one point, his approval rating nearly reached 28%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.