The city of Elche lived an unforgettable day with the open training session of the Argentina National Team, an event that gathered thousands of fans at the Manuel Martínez Valero stadium. Although the session was scheduled as the last rehearsal before the trip to Luanda to face Angola this Friday, November 14, all eyes and excitement were focused on a single name: Lionel Messi.
From the early hours of the day, long lines surrounded the Elche CF stadium, located just a few minutes away from Argentina’s training camp. The Elche club decorated the dressing rooms with the colors of the Albiceleste and prepared a special atmosphere, including a large curtain in the stands with images of Maradona and Messi, accompanied by the message “Coronados de gloria vivamos” (Crowned with glory, let’s live).
The Messi phenomenon in Elche
From the moment he stepped on the field, Messi was greeted with a deafening ovation.
The Argentine captain responded with smiles, greetings and a few flashes of soccer that lifted the entire stadium.
In one of the exercises, he scored a left-footed goal, prompting one of the most celebrated moments of the day.
Messi receives the “10” of Elche
During the practice, Christian Bragarnik, owner of Elche CF, surprised Messi with a personalized club jersey with the number 10.
Messi smiled, thanked the club for the gesture and posed for the official photo the club posted with the message:
“Messi’s reaction to seeing his Elche CF jersey”.
Messi later shared on Instagram several images of the training session along with an emotional message to the fans:
“It had been a long time since I had been here and, to tell the truth, the affection I was always shown in every place I went to still moves me… there were a lot of Argentines too”.
It's always a pleasure to see you again!
Leo Messi
Argentina returns to the Martínez Valero
This training marked Argentina’s return to the stadium they last visited in 2019, when they beat Ecuador 6-1 in a friendly.
On this occasion, the venue once again vibrated with the world champion and especially with the presence of Messi, whose influence was once again clear from the first minute.
Next match: heading to Angola
Argentina will travel to Luanda to face Angola at the 11 de Novembro stadium, specially renovated to host the South American team.
The match will be the last game of the year for the team coached by Lionel Scaloni.
For more information, visit QuéOnnda.com.