Messi attends Leones versus Central Córdoba de Rosario in Primera C | OneFootball

Lionel Messi made his first public appearance since Argentina’s 1-0 World Cup final defeat to Spain, watching Leones against Central Córdoba de Rosario in a Primera C match at Club Atlético Unión de Arroyo Seco. The game took place on matchday 21.

According to SuperDepor.com, the 39-year-old Argentina captain sat in the stand beside his son Mateo, wearing a black coat with hood and drinking mate.

After the MetLife Stadium final, he left the pitch in silence and did not fly home with the squad. He returned to Rosario on Tuesday morning by private flight with his family, then kept out of view at his house in Funes until Saturday.

Leones FC, which began competing this season in Argentina’s fourth tier, entered the game with 7 wins, 7 draws and 4 defeats, 29 points and third place in Zona B. They were seven points behind leaders Cañuelas with a game in hand.

The club is presided over by Matías Horacio Messi, with María Sol Messi and nephew Tomás Matías on the board. The fixture is regarded locally as a lower-league clásico in Rosario, and Messi’s attendance was captured by the division’s official broadcast cameras.

Central Córdoba also started Joaquín Messi, a 24-year-old midfielder wearing the number 10 shirt, a graduate of Newell’s Old Boys. He is unrelated to Lionel and previously played for Estudiantes de Río Cuarto, often noted for sharing the surname.

Source: SuperDepor.com