Messi honored with stadium stand named after him at former club

By Hong Duy June 26, 2025 | 05:00 am PT

Newell's Old Boys have named a new stand at their Coloso Marcelo Bielsa Stadium after Lionel Messi to celebrate the Argentine icon's 38th birthday.

The addition increases the stadium's capacity to 50,000. It now boasts two tributes, with another stand already named after Diego Maradona, who played for Newell's during the 1993–94 season, ESPN reported.

"Today, the Coloso writes a new page in history. For the first time, two of the greatest names in football are together under one roof," the club announced on Instagram.

Lionel Messi celebrates his 38th birthday on June 24, 2025. Photo by Instagram/@leomessi

The stadium, commonly referred to as "El Coloso" (The Giant), was renamed in 2009 to honor Marcelo Bielsa, a former Newell's player (1975–1977) and coach (1990–1992), who also managed Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Athletic Bilbao, Marseille, Lazio and Leeds United.

Messi spent his early football years at Newell's, joining the youth academy at the age of five and playing there until he moved to Barcelona at 13. With Barca, he played 778 matches, scored 672 goals, assisted 305 times and helped the club win 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies.

On June 24, Barcelona sent birthday wishes via social media, writing: "You gave us your heart. And you’ll always have ours. Happy birthday, Messi," alongside a collection of photos of Messi in a Barcelona jersey.

PSG, Inter Miami and the Argentina national team also wrote birthday messages for the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Messi responded on Instagram with photos from his birthday celebration and the caption: "Thank you so much for all the greetings and congratulations. Sending you a big hug!"

At 38, Messi holds numerous football records, including 45 collective titles, 8 Ballon d'Ors, 6 European Golden Boots, 91 goals in a calendar year (2012), 474 La Liga goals (a league record) and 672 goals for a single club (Barcelona).

The Argentine star is currently preparing with Inter Miami for their upcoming clash against PSG in the round of 16 at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The match will take place on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.