The centre which was named Casa de Ezeiza, would be known as “Lionel Andres Messi” from March 25 onwards.By: Sports DeskUpdated: March 26, 2023

XXThe centre which was named Casa de Ezeiza, would be known as “Lionel Andres Messi” (Twitter/AFA)

Trung tâm được đặt tên là Casa de Ezeiza, sẽ được gọi là “Lionel Andres Messi” (Twitter/AFA)

Lionel Messi was forever immortalised when Argentina Football Association (AFA) president Chiqui Tapia announced on Saturday that the Argentina training camp will be named after the superstar.

The centre which was named Casa de Ezeiza, would be known as “Lionel Andres Messi” from March 25 onwards, Tapia had tweeted.

“Thank you all very much for being here. I am grateful to ‘Chiqui’ for this recognition, it is very important to me. I have been coming to this property for 20 years and since I entered I felt a very special energy. Until today, every Every time I enter, I feel a very particular energy in this property. I have had hard times, but even in those moments, entering here meant forgetting everything, it was arriving and feeling happiness for being in this place, the same thing I still feel,” Messi said.

“I feel very happy that after so long this is going to bear my name. I am one of the people who think that tributes have to be done while alive, and I think this is a very special recognition for all that this property means, for the amount of players who pass by. Passing by here and knowing that it will bear my name is something very nice,” he added.

Earlier in the week, Messi mania gripped Buenos Aires as the Argentina national team led by Messi beat Panama 2-0 on Thursday in a friendly match that was essentially a celebration of their World Cup victory last December.

Although the world champions dominated the game, they didn’t get a goal until the 78th minute when Thiago Almada scored after a free kick by Messi hit the goal post.

Ten minutes later, it was Messi’s turn and he scored the 800th goal of his professional career with a perfectly executed free kick. He is now one short of the 100-goal mark for the national squad.

Argentine Football Federation (AFA) President Claudio Tapia announced that Argentina’s training center will be named after Lionel Messi from March 25.

The decision to change the name from “Casa de Ezeiza” to “Lionel Andres Messi” was announced in a solemn ceremony yesterday, with all members of the Argentina team in attendance. Messi and Tapia personally pulled the Argentine flag over the new sign outside the training center, and posed for pictures with this sign.

On Twitter , Tapia said it was Argentina’s “historic day”, and expressed gratitude to all those involved in the AFA. He said the name change was in honor of Messi and hailed the 35-year-old striker as the best player in the world.

President Tapia (left) and Messi at the ceremony to hang a new sign for the Argentine national training center. Photo: AFA

On Instagram , Messi posted pictures of the ceremony with the message: “This is one of the best things I have ever received. I want to thank the coaching staff, players, staff of AFA. been with us. It’s an honor, thank you very much!”.

Messi spent a successful year playing with Argentina. After repeatedly being ungrateful with team titles despite reaching the 2014 World Cup final, Copa America 2007, 2015 and 2016, he won his first title when he and Argentina defeated host Brazil 1-0 in the Copa final. America 2021. Messi scored four goals, provided five assists to win three individual awards: Best Player, Top Scorer and Most Assistive Player.

In June 2022, Messi contributed two assists to help Argentina crush Italy 3-0 in the Intercontinental Super Cup match. Thanks to that, the 35-year-old striker won his second title at the national team level, in the third time the Super Cup match between the Euro and Copa America champions was held after France won in 1985 and Argentina in 1993.

Messi attended the naming ceremony for the Argentine training center on March 25.

Six months later, Messi led Argentina to the third World Cup in its history, and for the first time since 1986, following in the footsteps of the late Diego Maradona. The PSG star scored seven goals, including a brace in the final, and was awarded the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball – the award for the best player of the tournament in Qatar 2022, and won the man of the match five times.

In the first match as the World Cup champion, Messi continued to shine to help Argentina beat Panama 2-0 when playing a friendly at the Monumental Stadium on the evening of March 23. In the 78th minute, he kicked a free kick from about 30 meters away, bounced off the crossbar, letting midfielder Thiago Almada hit the back kick, scoring the first goal for the team. About 10 minutes later, Messi had another free-kick into the top corner, scoring his 800th career goal and fixing the score.

After the match, in a speech to fans, Messi said he “dreams” of celebrating winning the 2022 World Cup and the 2021 Copa America in his home country. The 35-year-old striker also thanked the fans for the love during the past memorable journey.

Messi currently has 99 goals for the team, and is aiming for the milestone of 100 goals in a friendly match against Curacao at the Unico Madre de Ciudades stadium, in the city of Santiago del Estero, Argentina on March 28.