Soccer players Lionel Messi and Neymar arrived in Israel on Friday evening with their team Paris Saint-Germain for their upcoming match against fellow French team FC Nantes on Sunday night, Hebrew media reported.
The game, referred to as the French Super Cup (French: Trophée des Champions), will be held in Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv. The Cup was also held at the same venue last year, marking Israel's second time hosting the event. There will reportedly be 30,000 fans attending the game.
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) July 29, 2022
The players are reportedly staying at the Tel Aviv Hilton, according to multiple sources.
Messi and Neymar previously played together in FC Barcelona from 2013 to 2017 before Neymar moved to the French team. Messi followed suit in 2021.
The legend himself, Lionel Messi receives a heroes welcome in Tel-Aviv, for the @PSG_English vs @FCNantes football match in Israel this weekend. #Israel #TelAviv #PSG #LionelMessi pic.twitter.com/aL3HszqdlY
— Ari Ingel (@OGAride) July 29, 2022
The last time Messi came to Israel was when he represented the Argentinian national team in a friendly match against Uruguay in 2019, which also took place in Bloomfield. He also visited in August 2013 with his former team FC Barcelona.
Other stars of the Parisian team that arrived in Israel included former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos. One of Paris's best players, Kylian Mbappé, did not come to Israel for the game due to a suspension.
Background
The game will take place as part of an initiative by Israeli-Canadian businessman and philanthropist Sylvan Adams, and the Comtec Group, to bring major sports events to Israel.
Other teams coming from abroad include English club Tottenham Hotspur and Italian club AS Roma, who will play against each other at the Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa as part of the I-Tech Cup, the Jewish News Syndicate reported.