Argentina and Juventus star Leandro Paredes recently gave a tour of his home in Turin and showed a special gift he received from Paris-Saint Germain superstar Leo Messi.
Paredes is currently on loan from PSG, and he has also featured in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad. The 28-year-old midfielder gave journalists a tour of his home in Turin, which housed most of Paredes’ medals and trophies.
22 year old Leandro Paredes scoring this Rocket volley for Roma that barely touches the grass 😱 Banger 💣 pic.twitter.com/Fjj8KUSFo5
— Riquelmista™ (@ElCerebr0) April 9, 2023
Among all the memorabilia, there was one very special item. It was Lionel Messi’s 2020-21 La Liga best player award.
Why did Leo Messi give away his La Liga 2020-21 Best Player trophy to Paredes?
Journalists were intrigued by such a fascinating find in Paredes’ home. When they asked about it, Paredes said that he received it from the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as a gift when he joined PSG.
Paredes has Messi’s La Liga 2020/21 Best Player award, he says: "He arrived in Paris, I asked him if he would give it to me and he gave it to me.” 🗣️😂📹 @SofiMMartinez
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) April 15, 2023
“He [Messi] arrived in Paris, I asked him if he would give it to me, and he gave it to me,” said Leandro to the journalists.
Leandro Paredes has been a consistent performer over the years
Paredes began his youth career at Boca Juniors, one of the most popular clubs in Argentina, before moving to Italy to play for Chievo in 2014. He also played for Roma, Empoli, and Zenit Saint Petersburg before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2019. At the moment, he is playing for Juventus while on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
Leandro Paredes will leave Juventus at the end of the season, confirmed — the plan won’t change. 🚨⚪️🇦🇷 #Juventus
Paredes will return to PSG as option to buy clause won’t be triggered — then decision will be made on his future. pic.twitter.com/9vzCspgCwm
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 10, 2023
Paredes has represented Argentina at various youth levels and made his debut for the senior national team in 2017. He was part of the Argentina squad that won the Copa America in 2021, playing a crucial role in the team’s midfield.
The 28-year-old saw even more success during the 2022 World Cup. In the quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands, Paredes committed a foul on Nathan Aké and then on purpose smashed the ball into the Dutch bench, which led to a brawl between the two teams. Paredes scored for Argentina in the penalty shootout, which they eventually won 4-3 over the Netherlands.
Paredes scored again in the World Cup final penalty shootout against France, winning 4-2 after the game was tied 3-3.
