Doctor Gustavo H. Day poses for a photo in front of his collection of the Argentine national team’s star Lionel Messi in his medical office, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
As Gustavo Day moves from one examination room to the next inside his North Dallas medical practice, the Argentine American doctor hums his favorite tune.
“Veni, veni
Canta conmigo
Que un amigo vas a encontrar
Que de la mano de Leo Messi
Todos la vuelta vamos a dar.”
“Come, come, sing with me,
You’re gonna find a friend,
And by the hand of Leo Messi,
We are going to run all over the field.”
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It’s a small ritual that steadies him through 12‑hour workdays and hints at the devotion that compelled him to transform the office into a Lionel Messi shrine.
Related: Pedaling to Messi: Three friends bike from Argentina to U.S. for World Cup dream
The walls, the hallways, the décor — everything reflects the passion of a man who has followed the Argentine captain across continents and through decades of brilliance, leading up to Messi’s sixth World Cup and Argentina’s second match at Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium) on Saturday against Jordan.
“He’s the greatest player in history,” said Day, 61. “There’s no comparison.”
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An office dedicated to Messi
The first thing his patients see when they step into the long hallway connecting the clinic’s 12 exam rooms is a massive banner draped across the wall. It’s painted in the sky‑blue and white of the Argentine flag, with Messi’s figure at the center, framed by three stars.
Each star has a number — 78, 86 and 22 — in a nod to Argentina’s three World Cup titles.
Related: Local fans feel Messi’s magic ahead of his World Cup match at Dallas Stadium
Beneath the banner sits a glass table holding a portrait of Messi lifting a Ballon d’Or, alongside a photograph of the squad that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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Blue and white balloons flank the display, guiding patients toward a corridor lined with memorabilia that traces Messi’s evolution from prodigy to global icon.
A hallway of Doctor Gustavo H. Day’s medical office is decorated with his collection of the Argentine national team, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
A passion shaped by two countries
Day was born in Detroit before his parents moved to Argentina, where he absorbed the country’s deep, almost spiritual relationship with soccer, and where he first saw Messi play.
After completing medical school, Day returned to the United States and settled in Dallas in 1996. The passion he carried from Argentina never left him. He estimates he has watched at least 40 Messi matches in person, including some of the most iconic nights of the player’s career.
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One of them was the 2007 Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, when a young Messi scored a hat trick for Barcelona that announced his arrival as a generational force. It was also the moment Day became hooked on Messi’s magic.
His admiration for the Argentine star has passed to his four children. Two of them — Matías, 27, and Santiago, 24 — work alongside him in the clinic and have helped curate the Messi‑themed displays.
Doctor Gustavo H. Day, center, poses for a photo with his sons Matias Day, left, and Santiago Day as showing some of his collection of the Argentine national team’s star Lionel Messi in his medical office, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
“This is my favorite piece,” Matías said, pointing to a watercolor painting created in 2015. It shows a youthful Messi — long hair, no beard, no tattoos, with a boyish face — dribbling in Barcelona’s blaugrana colors.
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The painting hangs near the entrance to Day’s office, which he named “Monumental,” after the Buenos Aires stadium that’s home to the Argentine club River Plate. Inside, a large television plays World Cup matches between patient visits.
Messi Magic in the U.S.
Messi turned 39 on Wednesday, but neither age nor the pressure of a sixth World Cup has slowed him. In two matches, he has rewritten the record books, and Day has been there for both.
In Kansas City, Messi scored three goals to tie Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the all‑time leading scorer in World Cup history.
Then came Monday’s thriller in Dallas Stadium, where Messi added two more goals to become the most prolific scorer the tournament has ever seen.
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“It was spectacular to be in the place where Messi made history,” Day said.
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Day and his sons are aware Messi has endured some of the most painful moments an athlete can face. Friday marks 10 years to the day since “La Pulga,” or The Flea, so nicknamed for his short stature and speed, stunned an entire nation. After missing a penalty in the Copa América Centenario final against Chile — Argentina’s third straight defeat in a shootout — Messi announced his retirement from international football, saying, “It hurts not to be a champion.”
He announced his return less than two months later, citing his love for his country and his jersey. In 2022, he finally lifted the World Cup trophy in Qatar.
A picture of the Argentine national team’s star Lionel Messi is seen at Doctor Gustavo H. Day’s medical office, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
On Monday in Arlington, with the match still scoreless, Messi again felt the sting of letting his country down when he missed another penalty against Austria.
In the stands sat Day. And when he watched his idol send the ball wide of the goal, he reacted in the way only a true believer can.
“I love you! Messi, I love you!” Day shouted toward the field as the captain walked back, head bowed.
Related: Lionel Messi’s historic goals bring Argentina closer to World Cup repeat bid
When Day was asked how he might resemble Messi, the doctor fell completely still. His eyes drifted to the cover of a book on his desk — the one with Messi’s face staring back at him — and he held that gaze as if searching for the answer.
For a long moment, he didn’t speak. Then Santiago stepped in, gently breaking the silence.
“Your energy, Dad. Your energy,” he said, his voice soft but certain. “You’re just like Messi in that way. You don’t stop — not for a second. You keep pushing, you keep working, always. In that, the two of you are exactly the same.”
To many, Messi is the greatest
In Argentina, comparisons between Diego Maradona and Messi are inevitable. But for Day, the debate is long over.
“Maradona gave us a couple of good years,” Day said. “Messi has given us 20 years of magic.”
A hallway of Doctor Gustavo H. Day’s medical office is decorated with his collection of the Argentine national team’s star Lionel Messi, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
He points to Messi’s discipline, humility and devotion to family, traits he believes set him apart not only as an athlete but also as a person.
“Messi is a man who puts his family first. He’s an example for all of us,” Day said.
As the afternoon winds down, the clinic empties. Day, Matías, and Santiago walk from room to room, turning off lights and straightening chairs. It’s a quiet ritual, the kind that marks the end of another long day.
But as they make their final pass down the Messi‑lined hallway, something spontaneous happens.
All three begin to sing — together, without planning it.
“Veni, veni
Canta conmigo
Que un amigo vas a encontrar
Que de la mano de Leo Messi
Todos la vuelta vamos a dar.”
In a Dallas clinic thousands of miles from Argentina, the devotion continues.