Rosario honours Messi with tributes to his father and a tour of his childhood | OneFootball

Rosario is keeping Messi's roots alive, with La Bajada landmarks, tributes to his father and a route through the places that shaped his childhood.

According to Globo.com, the sites from his early years remain scattered across the city, offering a symbolic tour of where it all began.

The house where he was born and lived until 12 carries a large mural along one side, portraying Argentina's captain wearing the number 10.

At the address, residents and visitors have left messages for Jorge Messi, who died last week, inscribed on flags, shirts and posters.

A few metres away lies the pitch where the young playmaker first struck and dribbled a ball. The space, known as Club El Campito, still has goalposts, but overgrown, unmaintained grass leaves an air of neglect.

Across the neighbourhood, walls and buildings feature paintings and graffiti of Messi. The General Las Heras school he attended continues to welcome dozens of pupils each day.

Messi left La Bajada as a child to conquer the world, yet the neighbourhood has never stopped being his. In this small corner of Rosario, his memory endures, and locals still hope to see him return one day as the legend who never stopped belonging to the city.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”