Messi sends hat-trick ball to his Barcelona home collection
AFA president personally carried the ball out of the stadium as Argentina's camp turned to recovery and family time
Argentine Football Association president Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia carried Messi's hat-trick ball out of the stadium. (X/AP) Lionel Messi kept the match ball after scoring a hat trick in Argentina’s World Cup opener against Algeria and plans to have it signed by his teammates before adding it to his personal collection at his home near Barcelona, according to Argentine newspaper Clarín.
Argentina kit staff retrieved the ball after the final whistle, and Argentine Football Association president Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia personally carried it out of the stadium shortly before midnight in Kansas City.
Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro watched the match from the stands.
The following morning, Argentina’s squad held a recovery-focused training session in Kansas City. Clarín reported that Messi was among a group of regular starters who remained on the field with recovery staff, alongside Rodrigo De Paul, Cristian “Cuti” Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Lautaro Martínez and Thiago Almada after logging heavy minutes against Algeria.