Qatar University has announced they will convert the hotel room where Argentina captain Lionel Messi lodged in during the 2022 World Cup into a mini museum.
The room, which was reportedly shared with Messi’s lifelong friend and former colleague Sergio Aguero towards the end of Argentina’s triumphant World Cup campaign, will no longer receive guests, according to Qatari news agency QNA.
“The room of Argentina national team player Lionel Messi will remain unchanged and will remain available only for visitors and not for residence,” Hitmi al Hitmi, director of communications and public relations at Qatar University, has told Qatari newspaper Al Sharq.
“Messi’s belongings will be a legacy for students and future generations and a witness to the great achievements Messi has reached during the World Cup.”
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was pivotal in his nation’s first World Cup triumph in 36 years, and was named player of the tournament after netting twice in the final.
The 35-year-old also scooped the silver boot after banging in seven goals as he claimed the one trophy that had always eluded him in his otherwise legendary career.
Lionel Messi was born in Santa Fe Province on 24 June 1987. At the age of five, he started playing football for Grandoli, a club coached by his father. In 1995, Messi switched to Newell’s Old Boys. At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency.
River Plate showed interest in Messi’s progress but did not have enough money to pay for the treatment of the illness, which cost over £500 a month. As Argentina’s economy was collapsing, Carles Rexach, then sporting director of FC Barcelona, was made aware of Messi’s talent, and Barcelona signed him after watching him play, offering to pay for the medical bills if he was willing to move to start a new life in Spain. His family moved with the young player to Europe and he starred in the club’s youth teams.
In October 2004, Messi made his official début for the first team against RCD Espanyol, becoming the third-youngest player ever to play for FC Barcelona.
When he scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete Balompié on May 1, 2005, Messi was 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old, becoming the youngest to ever score in a La Liga game for FC Barcelona.
In 2021 he joins Paris Saint Germain (PSG) for a new adventure, where he won the 2022 world cup.
Lionel Messi is one of the highest-paid soccer players in the world and definitely one of the highest-paid athletes in the world overall. His earth-shattering 2017 contract with Barcelona gave Messi an average base annual salary of $168 million, with his endorsement, his current net worth is $600 million.
