<\/p>\n
Doctor Gustavo H. Day poses for a photo in front of his collection of the Argentine national team\u2019s star Lionel Messi in his medical office, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
As Gustavo Day moves from one examination room to the next inside his North Dallas<\/a> medical practice, the Argentine American doctor hums his favorite tune.<\/p>\n \u201cVeni, veni \u201cCome, come, sing with me, Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n It\u2019s a small ritual that steadies him through 12\u2011hour workdays and hints at the devotion that compelled him to transform the office into a Lionel Messi<\/a> shrine.<\/p>\n Related: Pedaling to Messi: Three friends bike from Argentina to U.S. for World Cup dream<\/a><\/p>\n The walls, the hallways, the d\u00e9cor \u2014 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<\/a> and Argentina’s<\/a> second match at Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium) on Saturday against Jordan<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s the greatest player in history,\u201d said Day, 61. \u201cThere\u2019s no comparison.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n An office dedicated to Messi<\/p>\n The first thing his patients see when they step into the long hallway connecting the clinic\u2019s 12 exam rooms is a massive banner draped across the wall. It\u2019s painted in the sky\u2011blue and white of the Argentine flag, with Messi\u2019s figure at the center, framed by three stars.<\/p>\n Each star has a number \u2014 78, 86 and 22 \u2014 in a nod to Argentina\u2019s three World Cup<\/a> titles.<\/p>\n Related: Local fans feel Messi\u2019s magic ahead of his World Cup match at Dallas Stadium<\/a><\/p>\n Beneath the banner sits a glass table holding a portrait of Messi lifting a Ballon d\u2019Or, alongside a photograph of the squad that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Blue and white balloons flank the display, guiding patients toward a corridor lined with memorabilia that traces Messi\u2019s evolution from prodigy to global icon.<\/p>\n A hallway of Doctor Gustavo H. Day\u2019s medical office is decorated with his collection of the Argentine national team, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n A passion shaped by two countries<\/p>\n Day was born in Detroit before his parents moved to Argentina, where he absorbed the country\u2019s deep, almost spiritual relationship with soccer, and where he first saw Messi play.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s career.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Related: More than a game: Pickup soccer creates enduring connections across North Texas<\/a><\/p>\n One of them was the 2007 Cl\u00e1sico 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\u2019s magic.<\/p>\n His admiration for the Argentine star has passed to his four children. Two of them \u2014 Mat\u00edas, 27, and Santiago, 24 \u2014 work alongside him in the clinic and have helped curate the Messi\u2011themed displays.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s star Lionel Messi in his medical office, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n \u201cThis is my favorite piece,\u201d Mat\u00edas said, pointing to a watercolor painting created in 2015. It shows a youthful Messi \u2014 long hair, no beard, no tattoos, with a boyish face \u2014 dribbling in Barcelona\u2019s blaugrana colors.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The painting hangs near the entrance to Day\u2019s office, which he named \u201cMonumental,\u201d after the Buenos Aires stadium that\u2019s home to the Argentine club River Plate. Inside, a large television plays World Cup matches between patient visits.<\/p>\n Messi Magic in the U.S.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, and Day has been there for both.<\/p>\n In Kansas City, Messi scored three goals<\/a> to tie Germany\u2019s Miroslav Klose as the all\u2011time leading scorer in World Cup history.<\/p>\n Then came Monday\u2019s thriller in Dallas Stadium, where Messi added two more goals <\/a>to become the most prolific scorer the tournament has ever seen.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIt was spectacular to be in the place where Messi made history,\u201d Day said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Canta conmigo
Que un amigo vas a encontrar
Que de la mano de Leo Messi
Todos la vuelta vamos a dar.\u201d<\/p>\n
You\u2019re gonna find a friend,
And by the hand of Leo Messi,
We are going to run all over the field.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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