Lionel Messi was given a heroes welcome as he returned to Newell’s Old Boys’ stadium on Saturday night.
He was there for Argentina teammate Maxi Rodriguez’s farewell game, but the biggest cheer of the night came for Messi.
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The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was greeted by a wall of noise as he was presented on the pitch to his hometown crowd.
The Rosario-born star spent his early years at Newell’s before joining Barcelona as a teenager.
It was also Messi’s 36th birthday and the crowd inside the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa serenaded him with a rendition of happy birthday.
The stars came out in force to give Rodriguez a send off, with the likes of Angel Di Maria and Martin Demichelis also in the team.
The 42,000 fans packed inside the stadium were rewarded with their support thanks to a quite brilliant Messi first-half hat-trick.
It took him just four minutes to score as he whipped in a free-kick to the top corner.
His second saw a sublime chip of the goalkeeper before the third saw Messi control the ball in the box and finish with ease.
“It had been a long time since I had spent a birthday in Rosario, with my family and my friends,” Messi said, according to ESPN Argentina.
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Messi added: “Although what we did is something special (winning the World Cup) and unique, the dream of every footballer… you’re thinking about what’s to come, more than what you did.
“When it’s my turn to leave football, I’m going to remember and enjoy everything I’ve achieved much more.”
