Summary
Lionel Messi will participate in his first-ever competitive game in Mexico after Inter Miami and Monterrey’s CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals qualification. However, Argentina has already participated in two games on Mexican soil, although as charity matches.
Has Messi performed in Mexico and where?
Leading “his” side against a Rest of the World XI, the Barcelona playmaker at the time was the highlight of a “Messi and Friends” charity match in 2011 at Estadio Azul (now Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes) in Mexico City. The Argentine celebrity almost missed the occasion due to a volcanic eruption that delayed his travel plans, and when he finally arrived in Mexico, he had digestive issues.
“A Colombian friend of mine phoned me just before we were about to launch Fanatiks, the world’s first sports social network, to ask if we knew of anybody interested in conducting a ‘Messi and Friends’ type match.
“The suggestion was brought up after Messi had been playing this kind of games for a few years, including one in Panama. We seized the chance to introduce the platform, considering if a team in Mexico would be interested. That’s how the crazy idea to bring Lionel Messi to Mexico started, Fanatiks partner and head of operations José Manuel Bolívar told ESPN.
Friendly with the Leo Messi Foundation in Quintana Roo
Messi participated in another charity match in Quintana Roo the following year, but the state government of southeast Mexico disclosed in a statement that they had made a payment of 1,160,000 pesos, or around $90,000, to the Leo Messi Foundation in return.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, 36, will first participate in a competitive match on Mexican territory when Inter Miami plays Monterrey in the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals south of the border.
The return match will take place at Estadio BBVA the next week (9/10/11 April), while the first leg will take place at Chase Stadium in Florida on April 2/3/4. It is anticipated that the precise dates will be verified in the next several days.