The Malvinas' complaint was also at the center of the tribute to Messi

The eternal Argentine claim on the sovereignty of the Falkland-Malvinas Islands will be one of the main elements at the center of the tribute to Lionel Messi which will be held at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires. The Argentine national anthem will be sung by a veteran of the 1982 war while the same banner displayed by the 'Selección' players at the end of the match won against England at the last World Cup will be unfurled in the center of the playing field.

Fabio Santana himself, singer and former combatant in the conflict with the United Kingdom, confirmed this in an interview.

"Three days ago, (AFA president) 'Chiqui' Tapia called me to tell me that I had been chosen. Imagine the emotion: I've been crying for three days," said the protagonist. "It will be a unique moment (...) I will sing together with the 15,000 of us who went to the Malvinas; together with the heroes who remained buried there and those who died after the war", he added.

The banner with the writing 'The Malvinas are Argentine' has however been preserved until today by the Argentine Football Federation (Afa) itself as a highly valuable heirloom and will be exhibited again on the occasion of Messi's farewell. The Argentine captain himself admitted at the end of that match that the one against England had not been a victory like the others. "It was a day of great happiness for all of us Argentines for the Malvinas and for Diego."