In the Czech village of Bukovec, an Argentina superfan plans to put up a statue of Messi next to Maradona

In the village of Bukovec near Pardubice lives Miloslav Urbanec, known as Churby — a 52-year-old superfan of the Argentine national team whose house has long since turned into a genuine football shrine. The façade is painted in Argentina's white and blue, a statue of Diego Maradona stands in the yard, and a minivan with a special "Maradona" number plate is parked in the driveway.

On Sunday evening he was visited by František Kolín from Pardubice — another Argentina fan who had heard about the unusual house and decided to see it for himself. The guest arrived wearing a white-and-blue shirt with the number 10 on the back, and the host readily invited him inside.

"It's really beautiful here. I admire it when people are so genuinely passionate about something," Kolín said, sharing his impressions.

Unfortunately, the final itself gave the hosts little to celebrate: Argentina lost to Spain 0:1, and the team's star player, Lionel Messi, failed to make his mark. "Weak, so weak. Nobody wants to take a risk. Messi still has to show what he can do," Urbanec said at half-time, still holding on to his optimism. But even a desperate late push wasn't enough to save his favourite team from defeat.

"Well, it's just football. And the Messi statue is going to be here regardless," Urbanec said after the match, revealing his plans to further decorate his football shrine.

Urbanec started supporting Argentina at the age of four, back in 1978, when the national team won the World Cup for the first time on home soil. "Football there is so much more than a sport. It's an absolute passion, an answer to everything bad in life. It's a way to break free from the everyday grind," says the fan, who has visited Argentina three times himself and has many friends there.

"A lot of them wrote to me saying they couldn't sleep. They're walking the streets of Buenos Aires and other cities, waiting for the final. It's amazing how football can bring us together like that," he said just before Sunday's final kicked off.

Urbanec sees Argentina's passion for football as an inspiring example for everyday life too. "These guys play as if their lives depend on it. Most of them come from poor families, and football is their real elevator to a better life. You can see it on their faces, in the way they sing the anthem, in how they give everything they've got. I've hit rock bottom myself — I've been living with alcohol dependence in remission for 29 years now. But just like them, I don't know how to do anything by halves," he says, explaining his life philosophy.

Four years ago Urbanec travelled to the World Cup in Qatar in person, but this year he didn't go to America. "Right now I'm here with the kids, and I really enjoy that too. Honestly, I still can't stomach Trump, I don't understand that whole political situation. I've been going to America since 2002, but I'm not going this time," he explained, giving his reason for cheering from home.

The first Argentine flag appeared in the Urbanec family's yard many years ago, but the decorations only became truly grand after Argentina's World Cup win in Qatar four years ago. Today, visitors are greeted by a large panel depicting Messi lifting the World Cup trophy, and instead of a vegetable garden there's a football pitch, a nod to Maradona's club Boca Juniors. There's also a rotating statue of Maradona, made by sculptor František Balek — it can either "watch" the game on the pitch or turn to face the kitchen window of the Urbanec house.

"I'm used to doing everything all the way. That's how I run the music festival in Trutnov, and that's how I support my team. Luckily, I have a patient partner," Urbanec laughs, adding that he'll remain a fan for the rest of his life. "And not just me — I believe my whole family will too, and not just them. My children, their children, and their children's children. This is definitely going to carry on," says the proud father of five, one of whom is named Lionel.

"He was born 17 years ago. Even back then I knew Messi was a brilliant player," Urbanec explains, on how he chose his son's name. Later, when he wanted to name another child after Maradona, his partner wasn't keen on the idea — but perhaps the family still has that in store, hinted Churby's son, Maxim Lionel Urbanec. "Although I mostly go by my first name, I'm proud of the Lionel. And if I ever have a son, I'll definitely name him after Diego," says Maxim Lionel, proving that football passion really does run in the family. So one day, the family might just have its own Diego Armando Urbanec.

Source: novinky.cz