(FILES) In this file photo taken on June 03, 2021 Argentina’s Lionel Messi takes a picture of late Argentine football star Diego Armando Maradona on his jersey before the start of the South American qualification football match for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 against Chile at the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. – Argentina captain Lionel Messi said that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will “surely” be the last of his career. (Photo by Juan MABROMATA / AFP)
Lionel Messi will headline a star-studded lineup for a ‘match for peace’ in tribute to fellow Argentina soccer great Diego Maradona on November 14 in Rome, organizers announced on Monday.
In addition to Messi, former Brazilian star Ronaldinho, Italian World Cup winner Gianluigi Buffon and Roma’s Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho confirmed their presence in a video published by the WEPLAYFORPEACE platform for the third edition of the “match for peace” organized by a Foundation created by Pope Francis.
The video was uploaded on October 10, to signify 10/10, in tribute to the number 10 jersey worn by Maradona during his career. His nickname was ‘el ultimo Diez’ (the last 10).
Former World Cup winner Maradona died aged 60 of heart failure in November 2020.
The match will take place on November 14 at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, less than a week before the start of the World Cup in Qatar.