‘GOAT’. This is a term meaning ‘The Greatest Of All Time’, and this is how the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) described Lionel Messi, who won the 2022 Qatar World Cup trophy.
Messi has won numerous individual awards, including the FIFA World Player of the Year Award, which is given to the player who performed the best in the world that year, the Ballon d’Or eight times each, and the World Cup Golden Ball (Best Player) twice. Not only that, he has lifted a total of 44 trophies, the most in football history, including the World Cup, Copa America, UEFA Champions League, and the Olympics. Messi, who reached the peak of his career by winning the 2022 Qatar World Cup, is considered one of the best players of all time, not only in the history of soccer, but also in the entire history of sports.
Everyone knows that Messi is from Argentina, but since he spent most of his glory moments in Europe, his childhood in Argentina has received relatively less attention. However, as Messi was born on June 24, 1987 and spent 13 years in Argentina before leaving for Spain in December 2000, there are many traces of Messi left in his hometown Rosario, Santa Fe Province, that any soccer fan would be interested in. . Recently, I visited Rosario in search of Messi’s footsteps, including the village of La Bajada, where Messi’s birthplace is located.
◇ Rosario, the most dangerous city in Argentina
Rosario is a large city with a population of 1.35 million, located approximately 300 km northwest of the capital Buenos Aires. It is also the third city in Argentina after Buenos Aires and Cordoba. It lies along the Paraña River, which originates in Brazil and connects to the Atlantic Ocean, so it prospered through grain transportation through ports.
However, over the past few years, Rosario has become a hotbed of crime as drug cartels have started supplying drugs throughout the country. Last year, the number of murders per 100,000 people was 22, more than five times higher than the national average of 4.2. President Javier Millais, who came to power in December last year, singled out Rosario and declared a ‘war on drug cartels.’ A cartel protesting against this killed four innocent citizens last month. Then, the government unusually deployed military troops to strengthen security. As of April 9, the government has raided cartels more than 30 times, and Rosario is still recognized by the government as ‘the most dangerous city in Argentina’.
However, contrary to concerns, the city center of Rosario that the reporter visited was not much different from other peaceful cities. Citizens continued their daily lives by going to the park and enjoying sunbathing, and there were many people walking their dogs even after the sun had set, and many stores were open with their doors open.
However, when I asked dozens of residents I met in various places such as streets, restaurants, hotels, and stores about security, all responded, “I feel it is very dangerous recently.” However, the majority said, “Except for going home earlier at night, there is no significant difference from usual.” This means that although there is no problem in life, there is always the feeling of anxiety that one may be exposed to an accident or crime at any time. The large military force and career history were not particularly notable.
As a city that produced the world’s best soccer stars, traces of Messi could be found here and there in Rosario. In one apartment in a luxury residential area of the city, the entire wall was painted with mesh.
◇ The beginning of a legend… Abanderado Grandoli filled with memories with my maternal grandmother
Messi’s hometown, La Badada, is located about 5km south of the city center. It was a 15-minute drive, so I took a taxi. When asked, “Please go towards Messi’s hometown,” the taxi driver said, “I don’t know where you are talking about.” I listed several places I planned to visit that day, but the taxi driver didn’t know much about them, so I was only able to leave after putting the exact address in the navigation. He said, “Everyone knows that Messi is from Rosario, but not many people may know exactly what neighborhood he grew up in.”
The first place we visited was the Club Abanderado Grandoli soccer stadium, where Messi’s soccer career began in earnest.
4-year-old Messi came here holding the hand of his maternal grandmother, Celia, to watch his older brother, Mathias, play. At that time, there was not enough one player to play in the game. It is said that Messi wanted to play, but because his physique was superior, he had to compete with his older brothers who were more than two years older than him, so people around him tried to dissuade him.
Only his maternal grandmother insisted that Messi was talented and strongly persuaded coach Salvador Aparicio to allow her grandson to play. Messi overcame his concerns and marked the beginning of his legend by scoring two goals, including the winning goal, among his older brothers. This anecdote also appears in the documentary film ‘Messi’ (2014), which covers Messi’s life.
Messi’s affection for his maternal grandmother, who always encouraged his grandson, saying, “You will become the best player in the world in the future,” including this time, is special. To this day, whenever Messi scores a goal, she celebrates by raising her arms and pointing her index finger towards the sky. It means she is dedicating her goal to her maternal grandmother, who died when she was 10 years old.
Abanderado Grandoli Stadium appears to be nothing more than an ordinary soccer field with only a single green ground and old stands. However, after reflecting on the anecdote, a new feeling comes to mind as I picture the grandmother sitting in the stands cheering for her grandson and Messi playing his first game on the pitch.
◇ Ballon d’Or won after two surprise checks
While I was taking pictures out of appreciation, a Santa Fe police officer on patrol stopped his car and approached me. The intention was to conduct an unexpected search by mistaking him for a Geodong award winner. When I presented my ID card and explained the whole story, the police officer advised me to quickly do my business and leave, saying, “It is an area with poor security to begin with, but the country has recently been paying attention due to the drug cartel problem.” This was the first time I was subject to an unexpected search during the year I spent in Argentina as a correspondent.
Perhaps due to the bad security situation, I was inspected once more by the Rosario City police that day. City police also advised people to travel by car if possible. Only then did the deserted street with no one come into view, even though it was broad daylight. Because it was a remote place, there were no taxis or Ubers.
I quickly walked 1km and arrived at the Santa Fe Sports Museum (Museo del Deporte Santafesino). This is a space that covers the history of each sports event in the Santa Fe region. Several traces related to Messi can be found here as well.
Messi, who started his career at Abanderado Grandoli thanks to the support of his maternal grandmother, joined the youth team of Newell’s Old Boys, a prestigious local club, in 1994. At the museum, you can see the Old Boys youth team uniform that Messi played for, as well as a player card with his personal information and photo. In addition to Messi, the youth uniforms and player cards of famous players from Santa Fe, including Angel Di Maria, Javier Mascherano, and Gabriel Batistuta, are also on display.
The highlight of the museum is the trophy space located in the basement. The 2019 Ballon d’Or trophy donated by Messi and the European Golden Shoe, awarded to the highest scorer in a European league season, are on display here.
In addition, there is a replica trophy that imitates the shape and weight of the real World Cup championship trophy, the FIFA Cup. It is said to have been produced and donated by the Argentine Football Association (AFA) immediately after winning the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Although it is not a genuine trophy, it is rare to find a place where you can touch, hold, and take photos of a replica trophy.
When I looked at the size of the trophy and tried to lift it with one hand, I felt that it was heavier than I expected. I could see the children having a hard time looking down on the trophy that weighed over 6kg.
◇ Hometown La Bajada, decorated entirely with mesh
I left the museum and headed to Messi’s alma mater, a 5-minute walk away. Messi, who attended Las Heras Elementary School (Escuela primaria Las Heras) five or six blocks from his home, was a shy and quiet boy. However, it is said that he hung out with his friends and kicked a ball around every break.
On the exterior wall of the school building, there is a picture of Messi wearing the national team uniform and cheering, as if to show that he is from here. Next to the school, there was a pigeonhole tower in the shape of a FIFA Cup with the words ‘Messi the champion’ written on it.
After leaving the elementary school, we headed to the most important destination of this journey, Messi’s birthplace. You can admire more than 30 murals related to Messi in a 300m radius of the La Bajada area, including the road from the school to Messi’s birthplace. Local residents voluntarily created it to commemorate Messi, the pride of the region.
After Messi became a world-class star, village residents testified in the city of Rosario that the young Messi would often hit neighbors’ gates while kicking a ball on the side of the street late at night, causing neighbors to not be able to sleep. Did the neighbors at the time know that ‘that annoying boy’ would later become a world-class athlete?
◇ Messi’s birthplace…Messi’s childhood acquaintances met there
As I walked along the mural, I soon arrived at Messi’s birthplace, Estado de Israel 525. This is where Messi was born and lived and spent his entire childhood before leaving for Barcelona at the age of 13.
It is an ordinary two-story house, but on the wall of the building is a picture of Messi wearing his national team uniform sitting in the middle of the stadium and gazing at the sky. This is the work of Brazilian artist Paulo Consentino, who travels around the world painting soccer-related murals. At the entrance, neighbors and visitors hung messages expressing their gratitude and respect for Messi on ribbons shaped like the Argentine flag.
In Argentina, it is generally known that ordinary people whose names are unknown live in this house. However, many of the local residents I met that day said that the house was still owned by the Messi family and that the older brother, Mathias, lived there. However, he said that these days, he is staying in Miami, USA, where Messi’s current team (Inter Miami) is located, so there are often no people at home.
While chatting with a few passing residents in hopes of hearing some hidden story related to Messi, one villager pointed to a place about 50 meters away, saying that there was another place nearby related to Messi.
He introduced that the name of the place was El Campito. As the name ‘small field’ suggests, there was a small open space with grass the size of an indoor futsal field. At the time Messi played, it was an empty dirt lot. The young Messi is said to have played ball, rode a bike and even built sandcastles with his friends there. It was a playground for young Messi.
Although the door was locked and I couldn’t really look inside, I could see a Messi mural painted through a gap. I wondered if I could go in and take a few pictures, and when I said, “I came all the way from Korea, it would be a shame to just leave,” I called a manager who lived nearby and opened the door.
He explained that there is a small soccer club for the village children in El Campito, an ordinary vacant lot with grass. The manager said, “Messi often sends gifts, such as soccer equipment, to the children in his hometown.”
After chatting about this and that, I told him that I was a reporter from Korea, and the manager said that her name was Marcel and that she was the older sister of Messi’s sister-in-law, Rosana Vachejos. She also said that she grew up with Messi from a young age and that she knows him well and they still keep in touch. He said, “Messi has been a simple person without deceit since he was young,” and “He is a family-oriented person who always takes care of each and every member of his family, including his sister-in-law and nephew.”
Marcela invited a group of villagers to gather at a nearby government office in the evening to watch a film about Messi and Argentina’s journey to winning the World Cup. The city of Rosario is holding a free screening of the movie ‘Elijo Creer’ (Choose Faith on the Path to a Champion), which was released in Argentina in December last year, for village residents.
◇ Hometown people cry and laugh at Messi… “I’m always proud”
A large screen was installed in the outdoor plaza inside the government office to show movies. Residents gathered one by one, and about 200 people were seated around 6 p.m. Before the movie started, I was able to meet Messi’s old acquaintances who still live in the village. Diego, who is the same age as Messi and is her best friend, recalled, “Messi was different from when he was young,” and “I remember playing soccer with him before joining the youth team, but after that, I just couldn’t play with him.”
The film looks back on Argentina’s previous matches at the Qatar World Cup, and the players, including Messi, look back on their thoughts and feelings at the time. Although everyone in the audience already knew the result of winning, they sighed when they lost to Saudi Arabia in the first game of the group stage. Roger, who had watched Messi grow up as a child, said, “At that time, I was really afraid that Messi’s last World Cup would end like this.”
Afterwards, Argentina turned the tide and continued to win. The children loved it, but adults who remembered the hardships that Messi and his country went through on the verge of winning several previous tournaments wiped away tears as they rewatched the touching moments. In the scene where the winner was eventually won, the entire audience applauded and cheered as if they were watching a live match.
Marcela continued to capture images of the villagers on her cell phone camera. He said he would show Messi the photos taken that day. He said, “I want to let him know that the people of his hometown are always proud of him and support him no matter what he does.”
◇ Newell’s Old Voice containing Messi’s past and future
The next day, I visited Complejo Malvinas, the stadium of the Newells Old Boys youth team, where Messi played as a youth. This place, not far from the city center, is still used as a training ground and home stadium for the youth team, just as it was when Messi played for the club. Messi signed with Old Boys on March 30, 1994. In his debut game, he scored 4 goals, leading the team to a 6-0 win over Seoul. He then made 176 appearances and scored a total of 234 goals over a 7-year period before moving to FC Barcelona.
Next, we headed to the nearby Estadio Marcelo Bielsa, the home stadium of the Newells Old Boys adult team. On this day, when there was no game, a stadium tour was being conducted for annual club members. As a non-member, entry is not possible in principle, but after asking, “I came all the way from Korea, I really want to go in,” I was allowed entry for 10 minutes.
However, the fact that he was wearing Boca Juniors pants became a problem. Generally, on the day of a soccer match in South America, anyone in possession of belongings from another team is not permitted to enter to prevent physical conflict between fans. During stadium tours, they were generally lenient, but the Old Boys were strict. Entry was allowed only after covering the Boca Juniors emblem with a shirt wrapped around the bottoms.
As I entered the stadium with a capacity of 50,000 people, I noticed the number ’10’ and ‘Diego Armando Maradona’ written on the second floor behind the goal. After finishing his career in Europe, Maradona played for Old Boys from 1993 to the following year. Maradona, who is nearing the end of his career, has not been able to perform as well as before with the Old Boys. But just looking at the crowd, he could tell he was proud that a legend from his country had come through the team.
Old Boys is the only club in the world to have had both Argentine football legends Maradona and Messi. To be precise, Messi did not play at Estadio Marcelo Bielsa because he only went through the youth team.
However, it seems only a matter of time before Messi plays for Rosario again. That’s because Messi has always expressed his desire to retire from his hometown team Old Boys. There are also foreign media reports that he may transfer to Newell’s Old Boys after his contract with Inter Miami ends next year.
Argentines are hoping that Messi will realize the ‘romantic’ feeling of spending the last days of his career by returning to his hometown team that raised him. Is it because of these expectations? Several nearby stalls were already selling Newells Old Boys uniforms with Messi’s name and number 10 engraved on them.
