Boy invites Messi to live in his city: 'here nobody will hurt you'
The 10-year-old boy wrote the letter after armed men threatened the Argentinian player. See the child's letter and read the message left by the thugs for the athlete.
247 - A 10-year-old boy wrote a letter to soccer player Lionel Messi, 35, inviting him to come live in the boy's town. "It's a peaceful town, nobody will hurt you or bother you here," he said. The boy wrote the letter after armed men threatened the athlete after shooting at a supermarket owned by his in-laws in the city of Rosario, in the state of Santa Fe, north-central Argentina.
In the letter, the boy wrote: "Hello, Messi, I'm Martin, I'm 10 years old and I wanted to know if you could come to Coronel Dorrego," he said. "I want to play soccer with your children." Coronel Dorrego is an agricultural town located 630 kilometers (km) from the capital Buenos Aires. According to official estimates from 2022, it has a population of approximately 16.
Gunmen fired shots at a supermarket and left a message for the player. "Messi, we're waiting for you. Javkin is a drug trafficker, he won't protect you," the message said. The phrase refers to Pablo Javkin, the mayor of Rosario.
Violence in Rosario
Rosario has the highest homicide rate in all of Argentina, close to 20 per 100.000 inhabitants, while the national average is less than 7. Violence in the city has surpassed previously unimaginable levels in the neighboring country.
Different records showed that there were at least 55 homicides in the city this year, an average of almost one violent death per day. Most of the victims are men. The main causes of the murders were settling of scores or revenge between gangs.
