Former Argentina national teammate of Lionel Messi and current Newell’s Old Boys coach Gabriel Heinze spoke about Messi possibly not returning to Argentina. This comes after a horrific threat to Lionel Messi following a gun attack in his hometown.
A supermarket in Rosario belonging to Messi’s wife Antonela Roccuzzo‘s family was showered with gunfire in the early hours of Thursday. It is said to be an attack by drug traffickers. More than a dozen bullets entered the store though no one was hurt, and a handwritten note was then left, which had a horrific threat for Messi, “Messi we are waiting for you, Pablo Javkin is also a drug dealer; he will not take care of you.” The attack could be an extortion attempt on Messi and his family by the gang though no motives for the attack have yet been revealed.
Gunmen in Argentina left a threatening message for Lionel Messi after opening fire at a supermarket owned by his wife's family, per @AP
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 3, 2023
The message read: "Messi, we're waiting for you. [Rosario Mayor Pablo Javkin] is also a drug trafficker, so he won't take care of you." pic.twitter.com/xFrcpgFcRA
Pablo Javkin happens to be the mayor of Rosario, where Messi and his wife were born. The city is plagued with violent gangs who have been causing chaos there. It is currently the most dangerous city in Argentina.
What did Heinz say about Lionel Messi?
Heinz, who played with Messi for the national team between 2005 and 2010, said, “This is an attack on everything, on every person and everything that this is,”
“Of course, this alienates Leo and anyone else. We are talking about this because it’s Leo, but there are also many guys who would like to return to Argentina.”
“We are talking about him being our player, also because of the relationship I have with him, but it’s crazy all this and it makes you think a lot of things.”
The coach of Newell's Old Boys of Rosario, Gabriel Heinze, has expressed concern about the recent threat to the family of Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi by a group of drug traffickers.#LionelMessi #GabrielHeinze #Rosario #Argentina #PSG #Ligue1 pic.twitter.com/WTsphPK7j3
— Buaksib (@buaksib) March 4, 2023
Gabriel Heinze used to play for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Marseille, and Roma, among many other teams. After a career as a player there, he returned to Argentina in 2015 to coach Godoy Cruz. Currently, he manages Messi’s boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys.
Messi, who had recently won the World Cup, may not come back considering the violence there and the threat of violence on him which could disrupt his national career. Messi and his family have not yet made any comments regarding the situation. Messi even played in yesterday’s game, a 4-2 win against Nantes, scoring the first goal. He also recently won FIFA’s The Best award for his World Cup heroics.
