Lionel Messi returned to Rosario, Argentina, on Tuesday to rest for a few days after losing the World Cup final to Spain.
Messi’s private jet landed near his hometown from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at 6:27 a.m. Although many fans waited with signs and flags, he did not appear in public.
Fans only caught a glimpse of the SUV that met Messi on the tarmac to transport him and his family to the private area of Funes, about 300 kilometers (185 miles) north of Buenos Aires.
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The Argentina captain was reportedly traveling with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their three children, who accompanied him throughout the North American tournament.
Waiting for him in Rosario was his 68-year-old father Jorge, whose ongoing treatment for an unspecified illness was revealed by the family during the World Cup.
Fans gathered at the airport as early as 3:30 a.m. hoping to see the star. Among them were two young girls Albiceleste T-shirts with welcome signs, one of which read: “Messi: You are a legend. Thank you for bringing joy to our hearts. The whole country loves you!”
Messi is expected to return to Inter Miami in late July or early August for the current MLS season.
Lionel Messi is expected to return to Inter Miami at the end of July. Maja Hitij/FIFA via Getty Images
Fifteen members of Argentina’s 26-player World Cup squad, led by head coach Lionel Scaloni, landed at Buenos Aires Ezeiza airport on Monday on a charter flight.
The team’s arrival follows Sunday’s 1-0 extra-time loss to Spain in the World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which was decided by a goal from Ferran Torres.
This match marked Messi’s third appearance in the World Cup final after 2014 and 2022. He finished the tournament as runner-up for the Golden Boot with eight goals, two behind France’s Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe tops the list of all-time World Cup goalscorers with 22 goals, one more than Messi.