A stadium stand in Argentina has been named in honor of Lionel Messi. Has Cristiano Ronaldo ever received a similar tribute?
Lionel Messi turned 38 on June 24 while competing with Inter Miami in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. Like Cristiano Ronaldo, his age suggests that the end of his career is approaching, but that doesn’t mean his story is over. In fact, new chapters are being added all the time. One of the most recent involves a tribute the forward received from his childhood club.
This week, Newell’s Old Boys, a top-flight club in Argentina, announced via their official social media accounts that a new stand in their stadium will bear the name of Lionel Messi. The recognition is one of the first of its kind that Leo has received in his home country, where he never played professionally for any club.
Messi developed in Newell’s youth system between 1994 and 1999, playing a key role in youth tournaments in his hometown of Rosario. However, at the age of 13, he had to move to Barcelona to undergo treatment for a growth hormone deficiency.
Despite never debuting professionally with Newell’s, the Argentine side has now chosen to honor his incredible career by naming the soon-to-be-inaugurated stand after him.
He joins a list of Argentine soccer legends already honored at the venue. Marcelo Bielsa, current head coach of the Uruguay national team and former manager of the Argentina national team, lends his name to the stadium. Gerardo Martino, Maximiliano Rodriguez, and Diego Armando Maradona round out the list of club icons recognized by Newell’s.
Not the first tribute of its kind for Messi in Argentina
Although no stadium or stand had previously carried his name, the forward had already received a major tribute in his home country. Since 2023, the Argentina national team’s training facility has been named “Lionel Andres Messi” in recognition of his invaluable contributions to the nation’s soccer success—especially following Argentina’s FIFA World Cup 2022 victory.
Has Ronaldo had a stadium or stand named after him?
The tribute from Newell’s Old Boys to Lionel Messi marks another moment where the Argentine forward stands apart from Cristiano Ronaldo. So far, the Portuguese superstar has not received a similar honor from any of the clubs he played for.
Years ago, rumors circulated that Sporting CP planned to rename their Jose Alvalade stadium after Cristiano Ronaldo. CR7 began his professional career at the club, making 31 appearances before transferring to Manchester United in 2003. However, those rumors have never materialized into reality.
Other legends with stadiums or stands named after them
Lionel Messi now joins a growing list of global soccer icons who have stadiums or stands named in their honor. Another Argentine legend, Diego Maradona, is a prime example—not only with a stand at Newell’s stadium, but also entire venues in Argentina: the Argentinos Juniors stadium and the Estadio Unico in La Plata, as well as the iconic San Paolo stadium of Napoli, renamed after him.
Johan Cruyff lends his name to the stadium where Ajax and often the Netherlands national team play in Amsterdam. At Manchester United’s Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton have each been honored with tributes in the stadium stands.
From: bolavip.com
