Messi: You paved the way for AFA to notice me | OneFootball

Omar Souto was one of the main figures responsible for the AFA setting its sights on Lionel Messi so that the star could wear the Argentine National Team jersey from a very young age. And as it could not be otherwise, after the passing of this historic Manager of National Teams of the Argentine Football Association, the number ten dedicated an emotional post to him.

Through his Instagram account and after another magical night with Inter Miami, the world champion wrote heartfelt words remembering Souto. "You were always present and were the person who paved the way for the AFA to notice me," Leo's post began.

And to this recognition, the number ten added other phrases that also reflected his affection for Souto: "A huge human being, impossible to forget for all of us who had the privilege of being part of the National Team. Your mark remains forever. We will never forget you, Omar. Rest in peace."

Souto and the call to "Leonardo" Messi

After Hugo Tocalli warned Grondona that in Spain "there is a phenomenon" and that they needed to "pay for his ticket and bring him to play," the then-president of the AFA gave the green light: he organized, along with the Under-20 coach, a series of friendly matches to secure Messi. That same day, the National Team had won a match against Ecuador in the Qualifiers with a goal by Hernán Jorge Crespo. Who had to reach out to Leo? Of course: Omar Souto. And he succeeded.

This was narrated in the book “Messi, the Complete Genius” by Ariel Senosiain. In Souto's words: “I left the Ezeiza complex for a phone booth in Monte Grande. I asked for a phone directory from Rosario, we only knew he was from Rosario. I tore out the page with the Messi numbers, made a random call to my house to justify that I had entered, and returned to the complex to track him down. The first close contact I found was his grandmother. Lionel's grandmother gave me the uncle's contact. The uncle, the father's. I called the father, introduced myself, and said we wanted his son, with the detail that I got the name wrong: I had always heard that Leo is the nickname for Leonardo”.

An iconic gesture that marked the life of Argentine football. That was Omar Souto, the man who was honored in October by the AFA in recognition of his enormous career and effort. He is mourned on the fields and in the National Team.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.