SUMMARY
- 90-year-old woman in Israel, avoided being kidnapped by terrorists when she mentioned Lionel Messi's name
- A desperate plea to Messi was also made by an Argentinian father, Alex Scherman, whose son was abducted by Hamas in Gaza.
Lionel Messi is one of the greatest soccer players in the world and is followed by millions of fans. Moreover, recently his popularity also helped an old lady from being kidnapped by a Hamas gunman, which shocked the soccer community.
Ester Cunio, 90, was faced with a nightmare on the fateful morning of October 7, when armed intruders invaded her home in the Israeli Kibbutz Nir Oz. Ester was terrified that she might be kidnapped and brought to Gaza, along with eight other members of her family. But one word, the mention of Lionel Messi’s name turned the entire situation around.
A 90-year-old Argentine woman avoided being kidnapped by Hamas members in Israel thanks to mentioning Messi, which led one of the attackers to take a photo with her and then leave.
The woman said: “I’m from where Messi is from…” Then the attacker took a photo with her and… pic.twitter.com/I4n32WeRap
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) March 7, 2024
This news quickly went viral as no one imagined that by just taking Lionel Messi’s name the situation would completely turn around. Not only that, the Hamas gunman even clicked a picture with the old woman in a show of support for being a Messi fan.
Ester Cunio opens up on how Lionel Messi unknowingly saved her life
When gunmen confronted Ester and demanded to know where her family was, she said that she was of Argentine descent and that she loved soccer, especially Messi, which caused her attacker to change dramatically.
💥🇦🇷Ester Cunio, 90, was saved on Oct 7 when she told the Hamas terrorist who invaded her Nir Oz home that she came from Lionel Messi country. Eight members of her family were hostages, including grandsons David & Ariel who remain in captivity. #Argentina pic.twitter.com/FXIEFbLFs7
— Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي💙 (@NTarnopolsky) March 7, 2024
In an open discussion about her experience with Fuente Latina (via Marca), Ester stated: “I told him that I speak in Argentine, in Spanish. I didn’t understand his language. The Arab language, and I speak poor Hebrew. I speak Argentinean Spanish, so he asks what Argentina is.
Then I tell him, ‘do you watch football?’ He said he liked it and I told him I am from Messi’s country. He was surprised and told me he loves Messi. He put his arm on my shoulder, gave me his gun, he made me do the peace sign and they snapped the picture.”
Even though Ester’s story has received a lot of attention, Messi has not publicly acknowledged that he knew about the incident. However, it also emphasizes how his name has a significant impact that extends well beyond the world of sports, acting as a beacon of hope and support during the most difficult of times.
Argentinian father sends a heartfelt message to Lionel Messi seeking help for his kidnapped son
Alex Scherman is aware of how much of an impact Leo Messi has on the globe. The Argentinean national team captain has been contacted by a resident of Israel to request assistance in locating his son, who was abducted by Hamas.
Alex said, “My son Ron, an Israeli soldier with Argentine nationality, was kidnapped in Gaza by the Hamas terrorist group. I know you must have thousands of requests for cases from people who want help. And I don’t know if this video is going to reach your hands, but as a father I am doing what I can to get my son back into my hands.”
*Lionel Messi, are you listening?* 🇦🇷🇮🇱
Meet Alex, an Israeli-Argentinian facing a parent’s worst nightmare. His son, Ron Sherman, was tragically abducted by Hamas last Saturday.
In this heart-breaking plea, he’s asking Leo Messi to help him *get his son back home safe*🙏💔
ISIS pic.twitter.com/G0jbsnRzTV— Hadar1.200.50.10.400 (@HadarOrnit) October 15, 2023
It remains to be seen what happens next with this story, whether Messi reaches out to Alex in the coming days remains unclear. Messi has been a hero to such kind of people and their families in many ways.