Lionel Messi once again captured the spotlight as fans flocked to catch a glimpse of him during his trip to Elche, Spain, for international duty with Argentina, underlining the global adoration and constant attention the superstar continues to attract. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has already left European football, but whenever he returned for international commitments, the fans came in large numbers to catch a glimpse of him.
The former Barcelona forward once again captured the spotlight as fans flocked to catch a glimpse of him during his trip to Elche, Spain, for international duty with Argentina, underlining the global adoration and constant attention the superstar continues to attract.
Messi expressed his delight at the warm reception he received in Elche, sharing on Instagram how the fans’ continued affection, including many Argentine supporters, always excites him whenever he returns.
"I haven’t been here in a while and honestly the affection they always showed me everywhere I went still excites me. Thank you very much to everyone who came today, there were a lot of Argentinians too!!! It's always a pleasure to see them again!!" Messi wrote on Instagram.
Messi and the reigning World Cup champions, Argentina, are scheduled to be special guests as Angola celebrates the 50th anniversary of its independence from Portugal. The festivities began on Wednesday. As part of the celebrations, Angola has organised a friendly match between its national team and Argentina on Friday. The game, reportedly costing USD 13 million, will be held at the 11 November Stadium, named after the nation’s independence day.
Lionel Messi returns to Camp Nou
Before heading to Elche, Messi made a brief stop in Barcelona on Monday to visit Camp Nou, the stadium where he spent 21 years of his legendary career.
The 38-year-old Argentine, who joined Barcelona’s youth academy at 13 and became the club’s all-time top scorer with 672 goals in 778 appearances, departed in 2021 after the club was unable to meet the financial requirements to retain him.
"Last night, I returned to a place that I miss with all my heart. A place where I was immensely happy, where you made me feel a thousand times like the happiest person in the world," the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner wrote on Instagram on Monday.
Barca reopened the Camp Nou on Friday, 895 days after its closure, unveiling a revamped stadium by staging an open training session attended by 21,795 fans.