- Messi gifted Nadal a signed Argentina jersey.
- Nadal, a Real Madrid fan, displays his jersey at his tennis academy.
- Gesture transcends club rivalries and unites sporting legends.
To commemorate Argentina’s World Cup victory, tennis great Rafael Nadal received a unique shirt from Lionel Messi, which he proudly displayed at his academy on the occasion of the competition’s first anniversary.
On December 18, 2022, at Qatar’s Lusail Stadium, Argentina’s Messi team defeated France 3-3 (4-2) to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup final. It was an incredible victory.
For Messi, this was a huge accomplishment since it meant he would finally be able to realize his lifelong dream of winning the world championship with his country.
Messi gave an outstanding performance on this special day, netting two goals that were vital in guiding his team to victory. Even though Kylian Mbappe scored an incredible hat-trick for France, it was not enough to secure the victory for his team.
Rafael Nadal is an avid football fan, and Messi sent him a signed Argentina jersey on the first anniversary of their World Cup victory.
The Rafa Nadal museum has displayed the jersey, the Spanish academy in Mallorca announced on X, the platform that once hosted Twitter.
“𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝙍𝙖𝙛𝙖, 𝙘𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙞ñ𝙤 𝙮 𝙖𝙙𝙢𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙞ó𝙣”
Un año después de ganar el Mundial, Leo Messi ha regalado esta camiseta 🇦🇷tan especial a @RafaelNadal. ¡Ya la tenemos expuesta en el Rafa Nadal Museum!
VAMOS‼️ pic.twitter.com/cf9tvnRWRK
— Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar (@rnadalacademy) December 18, 2023
When it comes to his love of football, Nadal has always supported Real Madrid, a team based in Spain, for a very long time. It is noteworthy that FC Barcelona, where Lionel Messi played for 17 seasons and amassed an astounding 672 goals before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, is archrivaled by Real Madrid.
There have been several rumors that the 22-time Grand Slam winner would take up the position of club president at Real Madrid. In his career, Rafael Nadal is gearing up for his farewell year, which is expected to be his final tennis season in 2024.
In the meantime, Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach Toni recently declared that the Spaniard still has a strong passion for tennis and that he still wants to win matches.
Additionally, Toni said that although his 37-year-old nephew’s physical prowess has diminished with time, he has not changed mentally.
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