It is June 24 in Rosario, Argentina. It’s winter, but it’s not too cold. The sky is dark gray, dense, at times it seems that it is going to rain, at times it seems like a thick fog, like those days when something good, something bad, something very big, or anything can happen. Everything can happen. It may happen that at the farewell to the legendary Maxi La Fiera Rodríguez, why not the best player in the world, Leo Messi.
On June 24, 1987 Messi was born and that same day 17 years ago Maxi scored a great goal in the World Cup in Germany that qualified Argentina for the quarterfinals. Maxi (former player of Espanyol, Atlético, Liverpool…) has chosen this June 24 to say goodbye to football at the Marcelo Bielsa Stadium, his house, that of Newell’s Old Boys, the lepers, the club of the loves of him
For months, many lepers already had the tickets. Because those who love football know how much respect a player like Maxi Rodríguez deserves and also, because it would probably be the opportunity to see a great show, with some of the best players in history and, if many things lined up, what nobody else could happen He didn’t even dare to pronounce: that Messi was there, on the field of the club where he started playing soccer and where he went to Barcelona at the age of 12 to become a world star.
Messi, on his birthday, Messi champion of America, Messi world champion, Messi the best player in history, Messi the record for everything. Perhaps this would be the opportunity to see him play for the first time in his native Rosario, in the club whose shield he has tattooed on his leg.
On the way to the stadium you could read signs that said “Leo, we’ll wait for you where it all started” and “Happy Birthday Leo”. The followers looked at each other because they saw that possibility closer.
The Parque de la Independencia area, the largest and most classic park in Rosario, is the place where the Newells soccer field is located, surrounded by old trees and an artificial lake, in the heart of the city. In the surroundings everything was a party, there were people of all ages singing, jumping, stalls selling choripans and drinks, red and black pororo (or popcorn), sellers of flags, t-shirts, hats and all kinds of objects with which colors of wildebeests
The stadium quickly filled up, there were girls holding hands with their mothers, fathers with their children raised, older adults, groups of friends, a large part wearing Newell’s shirts, but others with Argentina National Team shirts. A fan commented that those were the ones who are not from ñubels, who were from another team, “Those are infiltrated to see Messi,” he even said ironically. These are the words of an orthodox fan, but Maxi had raised his farewell as a football party so, on paper, fans of any club were welcome.
Before the game there were musical shows. Flags that read “NOB, school of champions” were unfurled in the large popular tribune, alongside others that read “Messi”, “Scaloni”, “Samuel” with the colors of Argentina and the Newell’s shield. The largest flag, which occupied a large part of the popular one, read “Thank you Maxi – MR11”, that eleven for the number with which he always played at Newell’s and with which he emerged champion.
The guests began to enter in groups, the drivers from the center of the playing field harangued them and introduced them as “Maxi’s friends”, there were actors, the historic Argentine hockey champion and also a leper, Luciana Aymar, the singer Soledad Pastorutti who later sang the national anthem, the influencer Jero Freixas well known to Barça fans, and many more. Nothing was said about Messi, but everyone had a good feeling.
The players who came out champions at Newell’s with Maxi in 2004 and 2013 entered, the Argentine Under 20 champions entered, the coaches Pekerman and Gerardo Martino. The ovation was growing, the anxiety too. The 2022 world champions Leandro Paredes, Angel Di María and coach Lionel Scaloni entered. The latter, who was also a Newell’s player, entered embracing Di María, a Rosario Central player, a historic rival of leprosy.
Al Fideo was seen with a nervous smile because in Rosario soccer is felt with a lot of passion and he probably feared being booed. He could happen that the rostrum sang against Di María, the world champion, a “scoundrel” from Rosario. But it didn’t happen. Fideo was also applauded. There were 40,000 people in the field. But people were counting and only two names were missing. would they be
The anxiety grew second by second. Until the drivers announced “the one who has always been here with his heart is coming, in Rosario on the field of ñubels, gentlemen and ladies, leprous souls, Argentina, Rosario, Santa Fe, from here to the world, and on this very special day for Maxi, at his friend’s farewell, and also on his birthday, this is his home, the world champion, the most Argentinean of all, Lionel Messi”.
The stadium erupted with shouts of all kinds, crying, hugs. And he saw it on the giant screen, from the locker room, with the shy smile that characterizes him, he slowly climbed the stairs and appeared on the playing field cheered, for being the one who gave joys that saved so many things. The chants from the stands when they saw him step on the field were unified singing “and Messi has leprosy, he has leprosy, and Messi has leprosy.” He walked slowly and stood with the rest of the guests to wait for his friend, “the best player among the fans”, Maximiliano Rodríguez to come out.
The stadium was left in the dark, with an impressive play of lights, while AC-DC’s “Highway to hell” was playing, Maxi left the locker room, entered through a red carpet and the stadium was again torn apart with shouts of joy, singing “this is the famous Maxi who returned to leprosy to be champion ”.
Now yes, they were all on the field. The game could start. On one side players with the Argentina shirt, on the other with Newell’s, all playing with complicit smiles. And what followed were three goals from Messi that remained etched in the collective memory. Every time he touched the ball, the stands bowed, arms outstretched, rising and falling, worshiping their God.
There were also goals from Maxi, others from his daughters, a penalty from the great Gabriel Batistuta, and a shot from outside the area by leper striker Ignacio Scocco.
To add a little more mystique to this celebration, at one point during the game Benjamin, son of Kun Aguero and grandson of Maradona, entered to give Maxi the shirt that Diego wore when he played at Newell’s. Maxi put it on immediately and finished the game wearing the ten’s jacket.
And so the fans of the idol who left everything to return to his club, save him from relegation and make him champion, said goodbye.
And he saw the dreamer retire playing with the red and black shirt, that jacket with which it all started.
