A group of Argentina supporters fell victim to a cruel prank by a Spanish pilot, who falsely informed them that their side had won the World Cup.
Passengers wearing Argentina football shirts leapt from their seats and burst into cheers upon hearing the news over the PA system — completely unaware of what was about to follow. Having booked their flights in advance, they had been unable to watch the match live while airborne, placing their trust entirely in the pilot to deliver the outcome of football's most prestigious fixture. He announced over the intercom that Argentina had claimed victory. The aircraft erupted into jubilant celebrations after a number of Argentine passengers were led to believe the pilot's announcement, having first been given a glimmer of false hope before the truth was revealed.
In the video the pilot told those travelling: 'It was a fiercely contested match right to the end, including extra time. 'Both teams gave it their all but unfortunately, only one team can win the World Cup final.' At that point the cabin erupted into cheers and screams as Argentine fans were apparently fooled into thinking they had won back-to-back tournaments in what is believed to be Lionel Messi's last appearance at the event.
But fans, some of whom were wearing Messi jerseys with his number 10 emblazoned alongside the golden 2022 winner's patch, fell silent as the captain continued: 'Spain has won.' The cheers swiftly gave way to a stunned silence as the Argentina fans on board were left utterly crestfallen.
Newspaper La Voz del Interior said: 'During a flight, as the World Cup was reaching its climax, a Spanish captain announced a false result that sparked celebrations among the passengers before revealing Spain were the champions.'
Argentina came within minutes of a fourth World Cup win on Sunday but were sunk by Ferran Torres's extra time strike, which saw Spain crowned champions for the second time. After a succession of extra-time knockout wins, Argentina's luck ran out and they ended their defence of the title they won in Qatar four years ago. Messi, 39, is unlikely to feature in the next tournament, to be held across six countries - Morocco, Portugal and Spain with one-off matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay - but is yet to make a statement on his future.
The Spanish team returned home on Monday and paraded through the streets on an open-top bus to celebrate their first World Cup triumph since beating the Netherlands, also after extra time, in South Africa 16 years ago.