More than 5,000 schoolchildren gathered in Lionel Messi’s hometown of Rosario to sing “Happy Birthday” as the PSG star celebrated turning 35. The celebration took place on a private island with his wife and friends, including former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez.
The tribute was led by young musicians from a local youth orchestra at the iconic National Flag memorial near the shore of the Parana River. The stunning performance was broadcasted on local TV as part of a segment of a program called “Mundo Leo,” which is dedicated to the football star.
Former Liverpool winger Maxi Rodriguez was one of the people who appeared on screen to wish Messi a happy 35th birthday before the children made their voices heard with their expressive display. The Paris Saint-Germain star turned 35 on Friday in Sa Ferradura, just off the north coast of Ibiza, and celebrated with friends including Suarez and former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas and their partners. Messi, wife Antonela Roccuzzo, and their three children Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro, six and four, have been staying in a six-bed £250,000-a-week mansion on the island with Fabregas and wife Daniella Semaan.
Around the same time as the tribute for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner in Rosario, Messi was enjoying evening drinks with his footballer friends and their partners. His family trip to Ibiza came a fortnight after he holidayed at his mansion near his native city after international duty, including a Wembley Stadium showdown between Euro 2020 winners Italy and Copa America 2021 champions Argentina, which the South Americans won 3-0. Messi’s Mediterranean holiday is expected to be his last before he returns to Paris to prepare for the coming season, which will be interrupted by the Qatar World Cup where he will be striving to win the elusive medal missing from his trophy cabinet.
