While celebrating on a private island with his wife and friends, including former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez, more than 5,000 schoolchildren in Lionel Messi’s hometown sung “Happy Birthday” to him.
At the renowned National Flag Memorial next to the coast of the Parana River, children from a youth orchestra in the Argentinian city of Rosario set the tone with the spectacular birthday tribute.
Before the kids made their voices heard with their powerful demonstration, former Liverpool winger Maxi Rodriguez was among others who appeared on TV to wish Messi a happy 35th birthday.
The former Chelsea and Arsenal player Cesc Fabregas and several friends helped the Paris Saint-Germain star celebrate his 35th birthday on Friday at Sa Ferradura, an island off the north coast of Ibiza.
Messi, wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their three children Thiago, nine, Mateo, six, and Ciro, four, have been staying in a six-bed £250,000-a-week mansion on the island with Fabregas and wife Daniella Semaan.
The PSG star was out for evening drinks with his footballer buddies and their partners at the same time that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner received a “Happy Birthday” homage in Rosario.
After returning from international duty and watching Argentina defeat Italy 3-0 at Wembley Stadium in the Copa America 2021 championship game, he spent a fortnight with his family vacationing at his mansion outside of his hometown.
It is anticipated that Messi’s trip to the Mediterranean will be his last before he heads back to Paris to get ready for the upcoming season, which will be interrupted by the World Cup in Qatar, where he will be vying for the elusive medal that is missing from his trophy cabinet.
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