SUMMARY
- Lionel Messi sent a autographed Inter Miami kit to Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhnyi on Christmas Eve.
- The Ukrainian General replicated the favor by sending a signed copy of a Time magazine featuring Valery,
Lionel Messi is renowned for being one of the most celebrated athletes of his generation. The 8-time Ballon d’Or winner has dominated the soccer scene during the entirety of his career. While his prowess on the soccer pitch is well-known, his fans also know Messi for his kind humanitarian works.
Valery Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi is a Ukrainian four-star general who has served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The East European country has been embroiled in a conflict with neighboring country, Russia since the beginning of 2022. Valery has been leading his forces bravely against the widely covered invasion by Russia.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhnyi received an autographed T-shirt from the famous Argentinian striker Lionel Messi
“Valery” was written on the shirt of “Inter Miami” striker Lionel Messi.
In response, Messi received a copy of the Times magazine… pic.twitter.com/zLN3tx20q1
— Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@jurgen_nauditt) December 24, 2023
Ukraine has received support from various international bodies. Various soccer bodies have also shown their solidarity with the East European country. And surprisingly, the Inter Miami player, Lionel Messi is the latest addition to this list.
The Argentine sent an Inter Miami kit to the Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valery on Christmas Eve. Lionel Messi personally signed the Inter Miami kit with the name ‘Valery’ in a show of respect for the Ukrainian General’s noble efforts.
Valery Zaluzhnyi looked very impressed with the Argentine’s gift. The General thanked Messi by sending a copy of a Time magazine which featured an image of the Commander-in-Chief. Valery too personally signed the magazine. The US magazine had written about the Ukrainian General’s brave defense of his motherland.
How did Lionel Messi send his autographed jersey to Ukraine?
Yuriy Sopranov, a businessman from the Kharkiv region of Ukraine is the man who brought the signed jersey for Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhnyi. The businessman attended a training session of Inter Miami where he asked Lionel Messi for the favor. To Yuriy’s delight, the former FC Barcelona agreed readily.
Yuriy documented his interaction with Messi very eloquently on Facebook. The Ukrainian wrote, “When I was in Miami, I was of course at Inter Miami games, and thanks to our Sergiy Krivtsov, of course, I got into training. Leo respectfully signed.”
The businessman was assisted by Inter Miami’s Ukrainian defender Sergiy Krivtsov, who let Yuriy into Inter Miami’s training session. Sergiy is a key member of the MLS team based in Miami, Florida.