Whereas his place among the many all-time elite is already past doubt, Lionel Messi took an extra step into immortality this week with boyhood membership Newell’s Old Boys naming a stand in honor of their eight-time Ballon d’Or successful alumnus.
The Rosario-based membership made their grand announcement on June 24, the day that Messi celebrated his thirty eighth birthday. A piece of their stadium will probably be endlessly emblazoned with yet one more of probably the most well-known names in Argentina‘s soccer historical past.
Nearly each nook of the stadium generally known as El Coloso (“The Colossus”) is festooned with tributes to membership legends. It was renamed Estadio Marcelo Bielsa in 2009 to herald the achievements of one of many infamously unorthodox coach who masterminded Newell’s Primera División title triumph in 1991.
Former Newell’s participant and coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who has the western concourse of the stadium named after him. There’s additionally a stand named after former Atlético Madrid and Liverpool midfielder Maxi Rodríguez, who was granted the honour to coincide along with his fortieth birthday in 2021 after he spent a complete of 9 years at Newell’s throughout three spells.
Messi is as soon as once more rubbing shoulders with the late, nice Diego Maradona, whose single (and pretty unremarkable) season at Newell’s throughout the early Nineteen Nineties was sufficient to have the south stand named after him.
For the report, Messi’s longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo will, for now, need to make do with merely having his identify above the door at Sporting CP‘s coaching floor and C.D. Nacional‘s academy.
To mark Messi claiming his first stadium-based honor so as to add to his sprawling assortment of profession accolades and awards, here is a well timed take a look at a number of different luminaries within the sport who’ve been granted comparable status.
Diego Maradona
In addition to a stadium at Newell’s Previous Boys, Maradona has additionally seen not one, however two arenas renamed in his honor. The primary was the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona, house of Argentinos Juniors, the membership with whom the teenaged Maradona made his skilled debut in 1976. Not that he wanted any assist, however the iconic No. 10 was then immortalized over again when Napoli renamed their Stadio San Paolo in his honor following his demise in 2020.
Pelé
Brazil‘s personal footballing royalty, Pelé may also declare to have had a stadium named in his honor within the comparatively humble guise of the Estádio Rei Pelé (King Pelé Stadium). The bottom is positioned within the state of Maceio and gives a house base for 2 native lower-league groups: Clube de Regatas Brasil of Serie B and Centro Sportivo Alagoano of Serie C.
Ferenc Puskás
In addition to lending his identify to FIFA’s annual award for probably the most lovely purpose scored wherever on this planet in any given 12 months, Hungary and Real Madrid legend Ferenc Puskás additionally has the 67,000-seater enviornment in Budapest bearing his moniker. The stadium was accomplished in 2019 after being rebuilt on the location of the previous house of the nationwide staff.
Johan Cruyff
Previously generally known as the Amsterdam Area, Ajax made the lengthy overdue determination to rename their stadium in honor of the membership’s greatest-ever participant, and the coach who arguably did greater than every other to outline what we now know as the fashionable sport. As such, the stadium was rechristened because the Johan Cruyff Area forward of the 2018-19 season, two years after Cruyff’s demise.
Arsène Wenger
Whereas Arsenal proceed to plug away with prosaic stand names such because the North Financial institution, East Stand, Clock Finish, and West Stand on the Emirates, it took a tiny regional staff in France to call a stadium after the Gunners’ legendary supervisor. USL Duppigheim determined to honor Wenger, who grew up close by and coached Arsenal’s “Invincibles,” by placing his identify to their new 500-capacity house stadium, which was constructed on a former potato discipline and opened in 2016.
Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton
There could also be plans within the works to construct a brand new house for Manchester United, however whereas Previous Trafford nonetheless stands, a stable 50% of the stadium is known as after two of the membership’s most vital figures. The North Stand was renamed the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand in 2011 to coincide with Fergie’s twenty fifth 12 months answerable for United (in addition to a statue to the long-reigning supervisor being erected on the concourse exterior). The grand unveiling of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand (previously the South Stand) adopted in 2016 on the sixtieth anniversary of Charlton’s skilled debut for the membership.
Sir Kenny Dalglish
4 many years after he first turned a Liverpool participant, Kenny Dalglish noticed his immeasurable contribution to the membership commemorated in 2017 with the revealing of a stand bearing his identify at Anfield. The silky Scottish ahead revamped 500 appearances for the Reds, scored 172 objectives, gained six titles and three European Cups, after which returned to win three additional First Division titles as supervisor, amongst a raft of different cups, honors and provoking charitable work. It is no surprise they name him The King.
Didier Drogba
Having performed youth soccer for French newbie aspect Levallois as a 15-year-old, Drogba was understandably flattered when his former membership determined to call their stadium after him in 2010. The ex-Chelsea ahead spent 4 adolescence with Levallois earlier than transferring to league aspect Le Mans, for whom he made his skilled debut in 1998. A transfer to Marseille adopted earlier than he was delivered to Stamford Bridge, the place the Ivory Coast worldwide gained 4 Premier League titles and the Champions League.
Fernando Torres
Born and raised within the Madrid suburbs, Torres made waves within the youth ranks at Atlético Madrid as a prodigious youth prospect the place he earned the El Niño nickname that caught with him his total profession. To mark the hometown hero’s ascent to greatness, native aspect CF Fuenlabrada renamed their multi-purpose stadium after Torres in 2011 and to cap issues off the World Cup and double Euros-winning Spain striker’s dad and mom had been invited as company of honor to the inaugural sport — a pleasant towards Atlético.
Dwight Yorke
When Trinidad & Tobago wanted a brand new stadium for the 2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship, they determined to construct themselves one simply exterior the Tobagonian capital of Scarborough. Who higher to call it after than the Caribbean nation’s most well-known and profitable footballing export? The Dwight Yorke Stadium, which honors the striker who was nonetheless taking part in for Manchester United on the time, remains to be in use as we speak and gives a house for the native newbie staff.