Lionel Messi has been honoured with a stand named after him, but interestingly, it is at a club that he has never played a single game for. The Argentine is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in world football, having collected eight Ballons d'Or during his career and lit up both the European and international stage, starring for the likes of Barcelona, PSG, as well as La Albiceleste.
When it comes time for the veteran to hang up his boots, there is no doubt that his name will be emblazoned across many stadiums, awards and anything else that could be named after him. And he has now got a taste of this despite never wearing the colours of the team in question, highlighting his general impact on the sport.
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Newell's Old Boys Celebrate Messi With New Stand
The forward only featured for their youth teams
It’s actually Newell’s Old Boys who have chosen to name a stand after Lionel Messi. The Rosario-based club in Santa Fe has previously honored several of its legends by dedicating parts of the stadium to them. Even though Messi never featured for their senior squad, he’s the most recent figure to receive such recognition, with the new stand boosting the venue’s capacity to 50,000.
The Marcelo Bielsa Stadium, also referred to as El Coloso, was renamed in 2009 after the club’s former head coach, who also famously took charge of Leeds United. Other stands in the ground carry the names of Diego Maradona, Maxi Rodriguez, and Tata Martino.
Messi has supported Newell’s all his life and was part of the club’s youth setup from the age of six until he was thirteen. After rising through the youth ranks, he moved to Barcelona to continue his development at La Masia.
“Today, the Coloso writes a new page,” the club stated. “For the first time, the two most powerful names in soccer history live under the same roof: OURS.”
While some fans believe the famous number 10 is deserving of the honour, some sections of the fanbase were left confused and voiced their disappointment with the decision to pay tribute to a player who never appeared for the senior team—despite Messi’s legendary status.
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Additionally, other supporters were left upset with the club’s leadership for neglecting to repaint the lower section of the stand, something that was seen as a far bigger priority.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt - accurate as of 28/06/2025.