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Gunmen threatened soccer icon Lionel Messi in a written message left during an incident in which they opened fire at a supermarket owned by his relatives, the Associated Press reports.
The incident took place at Unico supermarket, owned by the family of Messi's wife, Antonella Roccuzzo, in Rosario, Messi's birth city and the third-largest in Argentina, on Thursday (March 2). Police said two male suspects arrived at the scene on a motorcycle and fired at least a dozen shots into the store, leaving behind a message written on cardboard threatening to the legendary soccer player and criticizing Rosario mayor Pablo Javkin.
“Messi, we’re waiting for you. Javkin is also a drug trafficker, so he won’t take care of you," the message stated.
Javkin criticized federal authorities over what he claimed was their failure to halt a spike in drug-related violence in the city, the AP reports. Messi, who is training in Paris with his club team, Paris Saint-Germain, has not yet publicly addressed the incident as of Friday (March 3).
Messi is less than three months removed from leading Argentina to its third World Cup and first since 1986. The 35-year-old is among soccer's all-time greatest players, having won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards and led his former club, FC Barcelona to 10 La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey championships and four UEFA Champions League titles.