After winning the FIFA World Cup and enjoying the celebrations in his native Argentina, Lionel Messi headed to his hometown of Rosario to spend the Christmas holidays with his family and friends including Uruguay striker Luis Suarez.
Argentine media reported today, Thursday, that Suarez arrived on a private plane from Montevideo, accompanied by his partner, Sofia Balbi, and their children. He and Messi have had a strong friendship since their days in Barcelona.
Millions of excited Argentines poured into the streets of Buenos Aires last Tuesday to salute the World Cup-winning team led by Messi upon their return from Qatar, as huge crowds stopped the open-top bus for the players.
The players were not able to reach the center of Buenos Aires as planned due to security concerns as a result of the size of the crowd, which was estimated by local media at more than five million people. The players were transferred from the bus to helicopters before Messi and Angel Di Maria traveled to Rosario.
The Argentina captain is staying at his home at the Kentucky Country Club and local media reported that several international sports stars were set to join the festivities, including former Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta and former Argentina forward Sergio Aguero.