Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Sep 08, 2025

Messi contracts Covid – a day after ‘sh*tty virus’ message

Messi contracts Covid – a day after ‘sh*tty virus’ message

Lionel Messi has tested positive for Covid – a day after the Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina icon lamented the virus to his hundreds of millions of fans.

A day after issuing a message about coronavirus to his vast following, Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi has become the latest footballer to return a positive test.

Copa America champion Messi has endured a nightmare start to 2022, with news that he has contracted the virus surfacing as he was about to resume training with club side Paris Saint-Germain following an injury-hit start to the season.

The 34-year-old idol had posted a message about Covid only a day earlier, using an address to his Instagram following of more than 296 million to give his thoughts on the crisis which has been heightened by the rise of the Omicron variant.

"I can only give thanks for everything that I had to live through in 2021," said Messi, wishing his admirers well.


"Even more so when many people had a really bad time because of the sh*tty virus that never ends.

"Hopefully 2022 brings a lot of health, which is what I wish you all for the new year. Hug everyone."

Messi, who pictured himself in Rosario with wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their three children over Christmas, is not thought to have previously tested positive for Covid during a pandemic that has lasted almost two years.


In April, the six-time winner of football's most prestigious individual prize helped to obtain 50,000 Covid vaccines from China as part of a plan to give shots to all South American footballers before the Copa America.

Speaking ahead of the tournament, which was moved at short notice from Colombia and Argentina to Brazil, Messi told Reuters: "It worries us because it is a risk for everyone, catching Covid.

"We try to be careful but it’s not easy. These things happen. We'll try to do all we can so no-one gets it, but sometimes it doesn't depend solely on ourselves."



The agency suggested that Messi had not been vaccinated at the time of the showpiece, which began in June 2021 and ended with victorious Messi being named the player of the tournament in July.

The latest statistics suggest that there have been almost 5.7 million Covid infections so far in his homeland.

New restrictions in France mean that a maximum of 5,000 fans will be able to watch games when PSG return to action, starting with a trip to Vannes in the Coupe de France on Monday.

More than 59,000 supporters would have been expected to fill the stands for the Ligue 1 leaders' trip to fellow heavyweights Lyon on Saturday, with the Champions League contenders' own home stadium, the Parc des Princes, usually accommodating almost 50,000 people.

Those figures have been dramatically reduced as part of rules introduced by the French government amid fears that hospitals could be overwhelmed by a surge in cases.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
×