Lionel Messi, the most prominent figure of the Argentine national teamThanks to his dedication and talent in every football match, he has gained thousands of followers around the world. Even at a young age the flea’ He started his career in this sport and was part of various teams. One of the most famous was Newell’s Old Boys. The star of InterMiami, At the age of 9, he traveled to Peru to face it Academia Cantolao, But after eating grilled chickenHe suffered poisoning that jeopardized his participation in the game.
We tell you more about this anecdote that few knew about the Argentine footballer and what happened after he fell ill from eating this popular Peruvian dish.
Lionel Messi and his visit to Peru as a child
In 1997, following a call from Cantolao Academy, Newell’s Old Boys accepted their invitation to participate in the Friendship Cup, a tournament exclusively for underage players that took place in Callao. At that time, the Chalaco team lacked the necessary financial resources to cover the hotel costs for the footballers, which is why the club members and players provided their own houses as accommodation.
William Méndez, whose son Kevin Méndez was a member of the Cantolao Academy, offered Lionel Messi accommodation at his residence in Pueblo Libre. During his stay, the Méndez family gave him a grilled chicken, but they never imagined that it would lead to such serious poisoning.
Messi as a child with his Newell’s Old Boys team. Photo: TyC Sports
Messi and his poisoning by eating grilled chicken
After tasting the Peruvian dish, the Argentine star went to training with his other teammates but fainted due to intoxication from the spices and frying that he was not used to. In this situation, the coach informed him that he could not play against the Chalaco team in that state. However, the “flea” quickly recovered and asked for a Gatorade drink to recharge his batteries.
After the game, Newell’s Old Boys took first place. This is thanks to the fact that Messi scored eight goals in his game against Cantolao, thereby securing the tournament title.
When Messi came to Lima with his team in 2013 to play a charity match where Neymar was also present, he remembered his past at the event organized by the Cantolao Academy.
“I was very young when all this happened. I didn’t know that there were still some photos or videos of that moment (the game with the Peruvian team), they are very good. I don’t have many details about how those games ended other than we scored a lot of goals and they called the team a “machine”. I still remember a little bit about how we took the plane and flew to Lima. But not anymore,” La Pulga told local media after seeing a photo of the aforementioned meeting.
What is the name of the syndrome Messi suffers from?
When Messi was only 9 years old, he was diagnosed with two illnesses, the first of which was growth hormone deficiency; the other had Asperger’s syndrome, a strange disorder that only allowed him to concentrate on playing football.
Messi is the biggest idol in Argentine football. Photo: EFE
When does the match between Argentina and Peru take place?
After the confrontation with Paraguay, the Argentine team will play against Peru on Tuesday, October 17, on the fourth day of qualification. The game will take place at the National Stadium at 9:00 p.m. (Peruvian time) and 11:00 p.m. (Argentina time).