Another hat trick for Messi on his birthday

 Another hat trick for Messi on his birthday

Messi(Twitter)

Lionel Messi completed 36 years. After winning the World Cup, the Argentine star celebrated his birthday in a different way this time. He returned to his hometown, Rosario, for the birthday celebration. On the same day, Newell's legend Maximiliano Rodríguez bid farewell to football. Messi appeared on the field in this farewell match. And he colored this great occasion by scoring a hat-trick against Rodríguez's emotional match.

Sound On 😅 pic.twitter.com/EAiQVgbVbT

— Leo Messi 🔟 Fan Club (@WeAreMessi) June 25, 2023

Messi's birthday and Rodríguez's farewell match - all combined to create a different atmosphere at the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa. The entire stadium was adorned with fireworks and flashes of light. A video tribute was presented to Rodríguez. Despite the entire arrangement, this former Argentine midfielder couldn't hide his emotions; tears filled his eyes. Messi and Rodríguez were seen holding their Newell's jerseys with their names and numbers in the dressing room.

In addition, Argentina's national team played a friendly match against Newell's Old Boys Legends. In this reunion of past and present players, Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni took to the field on this day. Although it was an exhibition match, Messi also sparkled here. He completed a hat trick in the first half.

Within four minutes of the match, Messi scored his first goal with a trademark free-kick. He flicked the ball over the goalkeeper's head to score his second goal. And he scored the final goal by bending the ball into the top corner with his left foot. However, Messi did not come on the field in the second half. Newell's Old Boys Legends won the match 7-5.

After the match, Messi expressed his reaction, saying, "To be honest, it was a beautiful day to come here. The most important thing was to accompany Rodríguez here, and people have come here today for him. Today is all about him."

Then, talking about celebrating his birthday in Rosario, Messi said, "It has been a long time since I celebrated my birthday with my family in Rosario. It's special because it's my first birthday after becoming a world champion. And coming to Rosario is always special. I have said before that our goal was to become world champions. However, among all the extraordinary players, there are those who have done incredible things but couldn't win the World Cup in the end."