The house seems to be going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment, according to its current state.
Leo Messi was raised in a middle-class neighborhood in Rosario known as ‘La Bajada’. He grew up in a two-storey house located on Israel street. La Bajada, a disadvantaged area in Rosario, central Argentina, is where Messi was born and spent his early years. This neighborhood, unfortunately, does not attract many Messi fans due to its dangerous reputation. It is a tense battleground for rival drug gangs, leading to very few people being seen out in the area and a prevailing sense of insecurity.
If you were to visit the neighborhood without knowing the details, it would be impossible to identify the house where the famous footballer was born. The house is secluded by closed curtains and safeguarded by railings, with no signs indicating that Leo spent his childhood years there.
While appearing deserted, it is widely known that the Messi family continues to possess the property; it is simply unoccupied as confirmed by Miñichi.
Nowadays, you can find vibrant artworks dedicated to the famous soccer player, featuring telegraph poles and drains cleverly painted to resemble his iconic jersey number, 10. However, contrasting the current scene, in the past, his residence stood humbly as a simple concrete building hidden within a complex network of dusty streets.
Even though there are no visible signs of the Barcelona star ever living there, one can discover several murals of Lionel Messi on Israel Street in Rosario. Some sections of the sidewalks are painted in the white and blue colors of his club team, with Messi’s jersey number displayed on them. Lionel Messi captivated the city of Rosario from a young age, showcasing his extraordinary talent on the worn-out, sun-drenched pitches in his neighborhood. He would go on to become arguably the greatest footballer of all time. A photo of Lionel Messi during his time at Newell’s Old Boys can be seen here.
The place where Messi showcased his skills in his youth On the outskirts of the neighborhood, lies the soccer field – the hallowed ground for the junior club Grandoli – left unattended just as it was two decades ago. It was at this very spot in 1991 that Messi’s grandmother, Celia, managed to convince a hesitant coach named Salvador Aparicio to include him in their team, despite being younger and much smaller than his adversaries.
Messi showcased his champion skills at the tender age of seven years old, impressing all who witnessed his talent. (Photo credit: Gabriel Piko/Press Association Images)
At the tender age of 10, alongside his beloved sister (Image: Gabriel Piko/Press Association Images)
