Japan's Ambassador Celebrates Messi's Goals with Enthusiastic Look

Japan's ambassador to Argentina, Hoshino Yoshitaka, joined in the fervent celebrations during a World Cup match, enthusiastically cheering for Lionel Messi and the Argentine team. Messi's performance, which included two goals after an initial penalty miss, secured Argentina's advancement to the next round and set a new World Cup scoring record with 18 total goals.

The ambassador shared his excitement on his official X account, expressing his readiness to watch the national team. His attire drew attention as he wore an Argentina jersey beneath his white shirt, unbuttoning it to proudly display his support.

Adding a personal touch to his game-day ritual, Yoshitaka also featured a 'daruma' doll on his table. He previously explained in a pre-match interview that these dolls are traditional symbols for wishes and perseverance. The tradition involves painting one eye when setting a goal and the other upon its achievement, with the ambassador intending to use one for each match.

He celebrated Messi's first goal with a "Golazo de Messi!" and later cheered, "¡Vamos Argentina! ¡Vamos Messi! ¡18 goles!". Following the team's qualification, he posted a video expressing congratulations, "Felicitaciones Argentina por la clasificación a los dieciseisavos."