In most cities, football is a sport. In Buenos Aires, it is a religion. And the murals are the churches.

Dibu Martinez — The Save of the Century

The first mural I found shows Emiliano Martinez — Dibu — making his legendary save in the 123rd minute of the 2022 World Cup final against France. The save that kept Argentina in the game. The save that led to the penalty shootout. The save that changed everything.

There is a detail that makes this mural extraordinary: the artist painted French player Pavard taking the shot. Pavard was number 2. He did not play in the final. The artist got it wrong — and nobody corrected it. The mural stands with its beautiful, accidental mistake for everyone to see.

Scaloni — The Sad Champion

A realistic portrait of Argentina’s manager Lionel Scaloni looking, against all expectations, profoundly sad. He won the World Cup. He is painted as though he lost it. I stood in front of this mural for a long time.

The Giant Maradona

The most important mural in Buenos Aires stands 30 metres tall and 35 metres wide. It covers an entire eight-story building and depicts Diego Maradona in his 1990 World Cup jersey with a captain’s armband. It took 800 litres of paint and 25 days to complete.

The symbolic details are extraordinary: stars referencing Maradona’s cosmic mythology, a kite representing childhood dreams. This is not a decoration. This is a monument.

The Giant Messi

Thirty metres tall, 25 metres wide. Messi celebrating his crucial goal against Mexico in the 2022 World Cup — the goal that turned Argentina’s tournament around when they were one loss from elimination. Painted in blues and whites. Impossible to walk past without stopping.