Examining Lionel Messi's past as he faces a final attempt at winning a World Cup

Plus, how soccer serves as a window into the world around us in 'The Last Cup.'

View this email online In NPR and Futuro Studios' latest podcast, The Last Cup, host Jasmine Garsd explores the parallels between her own immigrant journey and that of Argentine soccer icon Lionel Messi. Saying goodbye to Argentina Jasmine Garsd; Phil Ashley/Getty Images; Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images For some, soccer is a sport. For others, a religion. But either way you look at it, it's transcendent. "Soccer was a constant in my life, as it is in the life of many Argentines," said NPR correspondent and The Last Cup host Jasmine Garsd, who grew up in Buenos Aires near a soccer stadium. The sport provided Garsd the rare opportunity to yell amongst men and boys who otherwise wanted her to remain quiet. And while the roars of those cheering fans still reverberate through her memories, so do the memories of leaving behind the only home she knew at the time. Like many other Argentines, Garsd and her family weren't immune to the country's economic collapse in the early 2000s. After losing their jobs, her family emigrated to Southern California when she was just a teen. And though Argentina was in her rearview mirror for now, her love for soccer — as well as its legends — never strayed too far.  One of those legends is "the Superman of soccer" himself, Lionel Messi. Newsletter continues after sponsor message Lionel Messi's immigrant dilemma Maria Jesús Contreras/NPR Messi is one of the most celebrated soccer players of all time. He's made the most goals in the history of Spanish soccer and has won a record seven Ballon d'Ors, which are essentially the Oscars of soccer. But there's one thing he's never been able to do: win a World Cup title. The soccer icon left Argentina for Spain around the same time as Garsd. After several years on FC Barcelona, he eventually made his debut on Argentina's national team. But, like Garsd, his relationship with his former country had shifted. "Every time I saw Lionel Messi try and go back to our national team and fail, every time I heard about how hated he was — how people accused him of being a foreigner, I asked myself the question so many immigrants are haunted by, 'What if I can never go back home?' " This question serves as the beating heart for the multilingual podcast The Last Cup/La última copa.  Home is not always a place, it's people Jasmine Garsd "We also explore 'soccer dreams' as an equivalent to 'hoop dreams,' " Garsd said. "Which in societies that are really stuck in a very discriminatory system, soccer is like this dream of advancement — this idea, this myth, that very few people make it. But the myth is that if you're good enough at soccer, you can get ahead in this deeply unfair society." With all its complexities and complications, The Last Cup ultimately tells a different kind of sports story. One that represents the various ways in which soccer mirrors our realities. And while there's no avoiding tragedy within those slices of life, Garsd also made room for Latino joy and quirkiness. "I know soccer can be problematic in many ways, but I also understood it as a space for feminism," she said. "And I also understood it as a space for joy — for people of working-class backgrounds and for non-white people, and that's important. That was important to me in this podcast — to allow a space of joy as well." As for whether Garsd can ever reconcile with living in the hyphen between homes, she — like many other immigrants — has found a new way to define the word. "I think home is no longer a physical place, it's people," she said. "Maybe that's a conclusion a lot of us immigrants and non-immigrants come to. Home is people who love you and care about you. Home is really an immaterial place at a certain point when you've had certain experiences. Making this podcast has been an interesting, digestive process." Jesse Brown/NPR Read the complete story on NPR.org and listen to The Last Cup on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Escucha a La Ultima Copa en español en Spotify o Apple Podcasts. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Best of NPR emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy