Messi's tourist circuit in Rosario

Having already been called Rosario's ambassador to the world, it is very clear that Messi is a popular figure in Rosario. So much so, that in November of 2019 a tourist circuit opened up detailing his childhood places when he was in Rosario.

It's made out of ten places where Messi used to spend his time, which go hand in hand with with stories, anecdotes, images and audiovisuals, where the Rosario Turismo app presents a journey through Messi's childhood neighborhood, his school, the 'potreros', his first clubs (Grandoli and Newell's) and even the place where he met Antonella Roccuzzo, his wife.

The places are the following:

Santa Fe Sports Museum: This museum is located where Battalion 121 used to operate. When he was a boy, Messi and his friends would outwit the soldiers guarding the place and sneak into the huge field that turned into a 'potrero' to emulate an eleven-a-side soccer field. Today, a large metal cube 40 meters high stands out in the Parque Héroes de Malvinas. It houses a museum that pays homage to athletes who made the national sport great and were born in the province of Santa Fe. On the second floor, at the end of the tour of the football area, there is an exclusive space about Messi.

Club Abanderado Grandoli: The little field where at the age of 4, when he was with his grandmother in the stands as a spectator, his brother's team lost a player and Leo replaced him, scoring the winning goal. I've done an entry on Messi's time at Grandoli.

School N° 66 "Gral. Las Heras": His elementary school, which today has a mural by the Brazilian artist Paulo Consentino showing him wearing the albiceleste jersey. I've already done an entry on this topic.

La Bajada neighborhood: The streets where La Pulga played soccer with his brothers and friends. The figure of the crack can also be seen in one of the 34 murals that decorate the neighborhood.

El Campito Club: The 'potrero' where Leo Messi began his relationship with the ball is now a neighborhood club. In this little field he made his first friends and spent long afternoons kicking the ball and riding his bike. In December 2018 these friends decided to transform the place into a space for recreational, artistic and sports meetings. Girls and boys from La Bajada neighborhood can now enjoy a place where they can practice different sports, get together with friends and dream like Leo did.

Central Córdoba: In 1995 Messi wore the blue and red shirt of the Charrúa in a children's tournament in which he was crowned champion.

Paseo de los Olímpicos: The star plaque of the promenade is located at the intersection of Av. Pellegrini and Entre Ríos, where Lionel Andrés Messi, who in 2008 won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, is depicted.

Complejo Malvinas Newell's: This is the Newell's Old Boys children's soccer school where Messi began to approach his future as a professional.  You can check this entry for more information.

Coloso del Parque: Newell's stadium, where Messi used to go with his father and siblings as fans.

City Center Rosario: At the age of 9, Lucas Scaglia, a friend of Lionel's, invited his cousin Antonella to enjoy the Paraná River with them. It was there where their lives began to intertwine. They became good friends and even though Leo went to live in Barcelona, they never lost contact.

The page for the circuit can be found here. That is all for today, so as always, I hope you liked this entry and I'll see you in the next blog.

Messi and his school

As a kid, Messi went to "Escuela N°66 General Las Heras", located in Buenos Aires 4800 and extending to Azara 700 as well. There was also a park right next to the school called "Plaza José Hernández", where Messi used to go, and now has a mural of himself.

He wasn't the type of kid that liked to study, instead what he liked most were recesses where he could play football with his friends, his favorite activity. And so, he also excelled in PE, getting a 10 on it in 6th grade. He was also very shy. Overall, seeing his grades from 6th grade, he did great in PE, a good job in computers, music, and drawing, and a decent job in everything else. Although not excelling in everything, he managed to not fail any subjects.

Here are some pictures of Messi when he was at this school:

When he went to Spain, he studied at León XIII college in Barcelona. He was recalled to be shy and didn't do too well with the subjects. He ended up dropping out in his 4th year midway through to concentrate fully on becoming a footballer.

In 2005, he revisited his old school on July 9th, 2005 (Independence Day in Argentina). He met with some teachers (both from that time and that he had while he was a kid) and students, and he was certainly happy to see them and the school itself again. Here are some photos from that visit:

In summary, Messi didn't care too much school unless he played football, and he was shy as well. But even then, he had good grades in some subjects and focused in at least not failing his classes, which he didn't. I hoped you liked the information I gave in this entry, and as always, I'll see you in the next blog.