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Lionel Messi returned to Argentina on Tuesday for a few days’ rest after the World Cup final against Spain.
Messi’s private jet landed near his hometown of Rosario in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 6:27. Although many fans were waiting with signs and flags, he did not appear in public.
Supporters got only a brief glimpse of the SUV that met Messi on the tarmac to transport him and his family to the private neighborhood of Funes, about 300 kilometers (185 miles) north of Buenos Aires.
The Argentina captain reportedly traveled with his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and their three children, all of whom had accompanied him throughout the tournament in North America. Waiting for him in Rosario was his 68-year-old father, Jorge, whose ongoing medical treatment for an undisclosed illness had been revealed by the family during the World Cup.
Fans had gathered at the airport as early as 3.30am hoping to catch a glimpse of the star. Among them were two young girls in Albiceleste jerseys with welcome signs, one of which read: “Messi: You are a legend. Thank you for bringing joy to our hearts. A whole country loves you!”
Messi is expected to rejoin Inter Miami in late July or early August for the current MLS season.
Fifteen members of Argentina’s 26-man World Cup roster, led by head coach Lionel Scaloni, landed at Buenos Aires’ Ezeiza Airport on Monday on a chartered plane.
The team’s arrival follows Sunday’s 1-0 overtime loss to Spain in the World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, decided by a Ferran Torres goal.
The match marked Messi’s third World Cup final appearance after 2014 and 2022. He finished the tournament as runner-up for the Golden Boot with eight goals, two behind France’s Kylian MbappĆ©.
MbappƩ tops the World Cup with 22 goals, one more than Messi.
Report from the Associated Press.
