It was not just another match. Last Wednesday, the Argentine National Team turned around a nail-biting game against England, but what truly marked a before and after was the gesture of Giovani Lo Celso and Lisandro Martínez: they grabbed a Malvinas flag that fell from the stands and unfurled it to the rhythm of «he who doesn’t jump is an Englishman.» That image, which went around the world, not only caused a political shockwave but also ignited an explosion of patriotism that is being tattooed on the skin.
«It blew my mind, I was deeply moved. The flag is too powerful, iconic, and beautiful,» says Ner, a young man from La Plata who, the day after the match, went out looking for a tattoo shop in Mar del Plata to immortalize the islands on his arm. Without an appointment, in a rush, he managed to get an artist to ink the design he already had in mind. «It was totally unexpected that the players would lower that flag and show it that way, without half measures. They went all in,» he adds.
The fever is not just Ner’s. Loli, a tattoo artist from La Plata, says that as soon as the match ended, she already had several messages requesting appointments to get the Malvinas tattooed. «With the victory against England, it wasn’t long before I had more than one client asking for them,» she assures. The economic situation is tough for tattoos, but «the World Cup season» benefits them, and even more so with this National Team that «helps.» Loli launched a promo with a discount on the cheapest design of the islands and was flooded with requests. «Now I have several appointments to tattoo our beautiful Malvinas Islands throughout August,» she celebrates.
Prices vary: a simple tattoo can cost between 100,000 and 170,000 pesos, depending on size and area. Pola, a tattoo artist from Villa Crespo, says that more than that is impossible because «nobody gets tattooed.» But the World Cup frenzy changes the rules. «We’re praying at every match because it really helps us,» she confesses, and reveals that she already has appointments booked for next week and the following month. Flavia, another tattoo artist from Villa Urquiza, assures that she and her colleagues are «all busy tattooing» Suns of May, flags, stamps, and the Malvinas themselves. «And there are many promises. This Saturday, four girls are coming to get ‘I choose to believe’ tattooed, which they begged me for an appointment before Sunday,» she highlights.
Meanwhile, President Javier Milei believes that the players’ gesture «could create friction» with the United Kingdom and gets angry with journalists who claim that the flag was poorly received by the government. But on the streets, more and more Argentines are spending part of their savings to tattoo the islands illegally occupied by the British since 1833. The Malvinas flag, which a fan painted inside a hotel and hid in his intimate parts to get through the controls at the Atlanta stadium, is now a symbol of resistance and love for the homeland that is worn on the skin.
The image of the players showing the flag triggered a wave of internet searches about the Malvinas Islands, which increased by up to 2,400%. And while the world watched, Argentines decided that the best way to honor the fallen and claim sovereignty was to tattoo the map of the archipelago. «What we are experiencing makes no sense. We have to enjoy it because we are making history,» Ner concludes, with his flag already engraved on his arm.
Para mí esto es un circo. Los pibes choreando la bandera de Malvinas pa’ tatuajes y el gobierno mirando pa’ otro lado mientras laburan en negro. La dictadura nos cagó las islas y ahora se hacen los héroes. Vergüenza total, eh.
q viva la patria carajo! para mi los zurdos hdrmp quieren tapar la bandera de malvinas xq son vendepatria pero la gente la lleva en la piel eso es argentinidad no como los q se arrodillan ante los ingleses viva la seleccion viva malvinas argentinas carajo