International soccer star Lionel Messi received a threatening message from two suspected gunmen on Thursday after police say they opened fire at a supermarket in Argentina owned by Messi’s in-laws.
Law enforcement said two men on a motorcycle fired off at least a dozen shots at a Unico supermarket in Rosario early Thursday morning before leaving behind a daunting message for Messi.
“Messi, we’re waiting for you. (Mayor Pablo) Javkin is also a drug trafficker, so he won’t take care of you,” the message, written on cardboard, read.
Reported the motives behind the shooting are unknown, but added “Javkin, a center-left politician in opposition to the ruling Peronist coalition, appeared to throw suspicion of complicity for the attack on both criminal gangs and federal security officials.”
In the past, the 35-year-old Messi’s relationship with supporters in Argentina has previously been somewhat fraught because he was constantly held against the standard set by Diego Maradona. Not only was Maradona instrumental in Argentina’s 1986 FIFA World Cup triumph, but he also embodied the values often attached to Argentine soccer.
In Rosario, prosecutor Federico Rébola said authorities were reviewing security camera footage and that the investigation was “preliminary.” It was the first time Messi’s in-laws had received this kind of threat, he added.
Messi has not commented. Considered by many to the greatest soccer player of all time, Messi is revered in Argentina, especially since he led the national team to the country’s first World Cup victory in 36 years in Qatar in December.
