Omar Souto dies, AFA legend who helped bring Messi to Argentina | OneFootball

The AFA is in mourning. At the age of 73, Omar Souto, the historic manager of the National Teams and one of the people responsible for Lionel Messi playing for Argentina, has passed away.

«With great sorrow and sadness, the Argentine Football Association announces the passing of Omar Souto, historic Manager of Argentina's National Teams», expressed the Association. «Simply thank you, Omar. Thank you for your solidarity, your unparalleled commitment to the albiceleste, and for being a true example to follow within the AFA», they stated. And they concluded: «We embrace your family, friends, and loved ones in this difficult time».

Tapia, the president of the Association, also lamented his passing: «What sad news. You have left us, Papúa. Today the sky is a little more Argentine. Words are not enough to thank you for everything you did and gave for our National Team. You will always be an example. We will miss you greatly. Rest in peace».

Souto was even a key figure in ensuring that Messi played for the Argentine National Team and not for Spain: he was the one who contacted his family to try to reach him and initiate the formal relationship with AFA so he would wear the Albiceleste jersey.

“In the Under-20 World Cup in Nigeria, we were always with Spain in the hotels, and a person from their technical staff approached us and said, ‘how come you didn’t bring the kid from Barcelona? He is much better than everyone here,’ and in that team, we had Cavenaghi, Mascherano, Maxi López, and one day when we returned to Buenos Aires, Tocalli told me we had to get that player. I thought his name was Leonardo because everyone called him Leo. I went to a call center in Monte Grande and asked for a directory of the city of Rosario where all the Messis were listed. I called the grandmother who gave me the uncle's phone number, when I called him, he gave me the father's number, who when I called said ‘finally, you are going to call him up. My son wants to play for the Argentine National Team’” he recalled in an interview with TyC Sports in 2021.

He later added more detail when he and Tocalli organized a fake call-up so Messi wouldn't go to the Spanish Under-17 pre-selection. There, they arranged a match with Paraguay and another with Uruguay, a key moment in the career of a Leo who would never leave the National Team. «The most important thing to highlight is that Messi always wanted to play with the Argentine National Team. He had a thousand offers to stay in Spain, but he always wanted to be here» he emphasized.

Recently, in October, Omar Souto received an emotional tribute at the AFA Ordinary Assembly. On November 23, his passing brings mourning to the Association, which was his home for more than 30 years.

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