The public was once in a heated debate when it was revealed that a property owned by Lionel Messi, one of the world’s top football stars, was a place where planes had to take a detour to fly over.

Previously, Lionel Messi’s family lived in a modest area called Bellamar, located in the suburban municipality of Castelldefels, about 25 km from Barcelona, Spain.

The old villa was bought by the Argentine legend for £1.8 million in 2009, with an additional £6 million spent on renovations to his liking (a total of $10.3 million USD), according to Barcelona Checkin. The villa has many balconies and wide windows with views of the hills of Catalonia, located near the Mediterranean coast.

Messi’s home is only 10 km away from Barcelona El Prat, one of the busiest international airports in Europe. The airport management wanted to expand the terminal with a runway over the sea, passing through the towns of Gava and Castelldefels – where Messi lives. However, the project proposal, which lasted for 3 years, was not approved.

In 2018, Javier Sánchez-Prieto, CEO of the Spanish low-cost airline Vueling, revealed that the reason was related to Messi. “You cannot fly over where Messi lives, this does not happen anywhere else in the world,” he said.

This has sparked rumors that airplanes are not allowed to fly over the home of Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi. Previously, Spanish football star Luis Suarez also had a similar “privilege”. The homes of the two football players are located in suburban areas of Barcelona, Spain, which has caused controversy about the extent of the influence of the two football legends, as well as what is special about their homes.

Immediately after that, the airline Vueling had to issue a clarification on its website that they never intended to involve these players in any controversy, according to ESPN.

In fact, the truth lies simply in geography.

Messi’s former home is located in the town of Gava, about 25 km from Barcelona, and is part of the Del Garraf wilderness park. According to Spanish environmental law, this area is home to an extremely endangered flora and fauna system that requires legal protection.

Airplane noise pollution causes a significant problem, which can disrupt the abundant wild animal system. Therefore, Spanish law has issued a ban on flying around this area.

As a result, airplanes arriving and departing from El Prat airport must take a small detour to the Mediterranean area to avoid this area. This is also why tourists flying to Barcelona have to make a U-turn in the air.

The distance from El Prat airport to Messi’s house. Photo: Knowxup.

Coincidentally, both Messi’s and Suarez’s houses are located in a protected area. Both football stars have no connection to this law. Luckily, they own a property located in one of the quietest areas on earth.

However, there were still people who didn’t believe and thought that Messi, being a superstar, was entitled to many rare privileges. This debate lasted for a long time until Messi left Barcelona, and everything came to an end.

As of now, the villa still belongs to Messi, but his family has moved to a different residence.

A villa with a view of the hills of Catalonia is located close to the Mediterranean Sea coast. Video: SOFOO.

After Messi and his teammates won the World Cup 2022, the image of the hero is flooding all over Argentina. This is the third time that the Argentine national team has won the World Cup. After 36 years since Diego Maradona’s generation won in Mexico, Lionel Messi and his teammates have brought the coveted golden cup back to their homeland.

After winning the World Cup 2022, Messi posted a photo of himself lifting the prestigious golden cup along with the caption: “I’ve dreamt of it so many times, wanting to win it so much that it wouldn’t let me give up. It’s truly unbelievable.”

“Thank you to my family and all the fans who believed in us. We have proven that when we Argentinians unite, fight together, we can achieve anything. This achievement belongs to the whole team, everyone fought for the dream of Argentina. We did it!” – Messi affirmed.

After the final match, Messi also established some impressive personal records. With 26 goals in the World Cup and Copa America, Messi surpassed Ronaldo (Brazil with 25 goals) to become the top scorer in these two major competitions for South American players.

Messi has become the player who has appeared on the field the most in the history of the World Cup with 26 matches. He is also the first player to score from the group stage to the final at a World Cup. With 13 goals and 8 assists, Messi is also on the list of players with the most goals in the World Cup (since 1966).

In Rosario, the city where Messi was born and raised, many foreign visitors come here to sightsee and travel. The space is filled with sky blue and white, symbolizing the colors of the Argentine national team flag. The house in the neighborhood where he was born has also become a frequent destination for fans to visit.

“Many international visitors come here. I never expected that from a normal neighborhood, it has become a tourist destination thanks to Messi. If it weren’t for him, no one would have known about this city,” said Fernanda, a resident in the neighborhood, expressing her pride.

SRC: https://gamek.vn/