42,000 fans were in the stadium in Rosario, Argentina, for the farewell game of Maxi Rodriguez.
The former Liverpool player officially retired in 2021 at Newell's Old Boys but had no opportunity to celebrate his retirement. Now, aged 42, the former Liverpool player formed a solid band of legendary footballers for his farewell party.
Among those was Lionel Messi who is spending his holiday back home in Rosario. The home crowd even sang 'happy birthday' as Leo turned 36 on Saturday 24 June.
Leo played for Argentina Legends against Newell's Old Boys Legends as Maxi Rodriguez swapped the team at half-time.
Both XIs were full of legendary Argentinian footballers of the past and present. The likes of Gabriel Batistuta, Esteban Cambiasso, Andres D'Alessandro, Javier Saviola, Lionel Scaloni, Angel Di Maria and many others put on their boots for the occasion.
Argentina won 7-5 and you can watch the highlights:
As for Messi, he was treated to a special welcome as fans were serenading him before and after the game.
Leo never played a single professional game for his boyhood club Newell's Old Boys, but their fans always treat him like he's spent a good chunk of his career there. He did, however, play for Newell's youth teams before going to FC Barcelona where he received the much-needed injections for his growth.
And of course, Messi is from Rosario, the home town for Newell's Old Boys.
