Messi Threatened After Shots Fired at Supermarket Owned by Wife’s Family

Footballer Lionel Messi received a threatening note from two shooters who fired into a supermarket owned by the family of his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo. The shooting took place on Thursday morning at approximately 2 AM. Nobody was inside the store, but the gunmen fired multiple shots into the windows and metal shutters.

Gunmen threaten Messi with the shooting and a note

One of the more disturbing aspects of this incident involves a note left by the gunmen addressed to Messi. The note read: “Messi, we are waiting for you. Javkin is a drug dealer. He is not going to look after you.” Javkin refers to Pablo Jakvin, the mayor of Messi’s hometown, Rosario.

Messi, who lives in a sprawling estate in Rosario called “The Fortress,” lives just 180 miles from Buenos Aires. The city is infamous as a hotspot for organized crime. Immediately after the shooting, however, Mayor Javkin made some remarks to the press. He, too, wrote an extended thread on Twitter earlier in the week that ended with this statement:

Translated, the tweet says, “Rosario is 300 km away [from Buenos Aires], it is close… We want all the resources against crime that Argentina has to come to take care of us, to protect this city that gives the country glory and science, countryside and art, federalism and union.”

Rosario is a major Argentine city

According to the Daily Mail, Rosario is also the largest city in the Argentine province, Santa Fe. From January to November 2022, there were 250 recorded murders. This is four times the national average. Additionally, estimates say 70% of the murders have ties to organized crime.

Although the note makes mention of Javkin’s alleged ties to drug cartels, local reporters think the gunmen are, instead, attempting to extort money from the World Cup champion. As of this publishing, neither Messi nor his wife have come out to comment on the shooting.

This is also not the first time Javkin broached the subject of crime in Argentina. As mayor, Javkin is trying to reduce crime in the area, calling on the federal government to assist in taking down drug cartels throughout the country. However, he focuses many of his efforts on quelling activity in nearby Buenos Aires.