- Angola reportedly paid a lot of money to convince Lionel Messi’s Argentina to play in their independence day celebrations
- Messi scored and assisted in the game held on Friday, November 14, in the Angolan capital of Luanda
- The games were part of World Cup 2026 preparations for Argentina, while Angola are preparing for AFCON 2025
Angolan citizens recently had the privilege of watching Lionel Messi play on their soil during an international friendly match.
Argentina travelled to Luanda to play Angola at the 11 November Stadium as part of their anniversary celebrations.
It has been 50 years since the country gained their independence from Portugal.
More than 50,000 spectators thronged the stadium to watch the reigning world champions. Head coach Lionel Scaloni named a strong squad for the contest, headlined by Messi, Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez, and Alexis Mac Allister, among others.
How much did Angola pay Argentina?
Getting the world champions to agree to travel to Luanda didn’t come cheap. ESPN reports that the Angolan government parted with almost $12 million (KSh 1.5 billion) to make Argentina agree to the friendly game.
Tuko
