Messi receives honorary doctorate from UBA hours before his farewell with Argentina

Lionel Messi was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Buenos Aires on Tuesday in a ceremony held at the AFA training ground in Ezeiza. The event took place just hours before his final match with the Argentina national team, the friendly against Benin at the Monumental stadium, turning an already emotional day into a doubly special occasion for the Albiceleste captain.

• The Argentine star received the medal and diploma from UBA rector Ricardo Gelpi and vice-rector Emiliano Yacobitti.
• The award was unanimously approved by the university's Superior Council and recognizes his sporting career and personal values.
• Messi said he never imagined receiving such an honor and admitted his nerves are growing as his farewell gets closer.
• The match against Benin closes a series of three friendlies in which Argentina beat Bolivia 4-0 and Burkina Faso 7-0.

An honorary doctorate at the home of Argentina's national team

The University of Buenos Aires chose a venue loaded with symbolism to present the award: the complex that the Argentine Football Association has in Ezeiza, the place where the Albiceleste gathers and trains. There, rector Ricardo Gelpi and vice-rector Emiliano Yacobitti presented Messi with the medal and diploma that accredit him as an honorary doctor of the institution. AFA president Claudio 'Chiqui' Tapia also attended an event that brought football and public higher education together around the figure of the captain.

Messi himself expressed his surprise at an honor that, as he admitted, goes beyond the strictly sporting sphere. "I never imagined this, being able to have something like this, something that has nothing to do with football, or maybe it does, related to everything I did in sport. It is a source of pride for me to have received it, to be able to say that I am an honorary doctor. So thank you very much," he said in a short speech.

I never imagined this, being able to have something like this, something that has nothing to do with football, or maybe it does, related to everything I did in sport. It is a source of pride for me to have received it, to be able to say that I am an honorary doctor.

Why the University of Buenos Aires honored Messi with a doctorate

The award was unanimously approved by the Superior Council of the University of Buenos Aires. The institution recognizes the player's sporting career and highlights values such as excellence, perseverance, humility and ethical conduct, as well as his commitment to representing the national team. During the ceremony, vice-rector Emiliano Yacobitti emphasized the footballer's story of "talent, effort and overcoming obstacles" and welcomed him with a phrase that captures the spirit of the tribute: "Welcome to UBA, Doctor Lionel Andrés Messi."

Welcome to UBA, Doctor Lionel Andrés Messi.

An honorary doctorate is the highest academic distinction awarded by the University of Buenos Aires and is reserved for individuals whose work has had a meaningful impact on society. In Messi's case, the recognition comes at the most significant moment of his connection with the national team: the day chosen for his last match in the Albiceleste shirt.

Messi's farewell with Argentina at the Monumental

The academic ceremony was only the prelude to the main event of the day. Messi will play his last match with the Albiceleste on Tuesday starting at 8:00 p.m. local time at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires. The match against Benin wraps up a window of friendlies in which Argentina beat Bolivia 4-0 and Burkina Faso 7-0, and serves as the stage for the captain's definitive goodbye.

Messi himself admitted that the emotion is building as kickoff approaches. "It is a very special day for me, I know it is going to be difficult, and I am going to try to enjoy it. I am calm, but as the moment of the match gets closer it gets a bit more complicated, and starting it this way, with this recognition, makes it even more special," he said.

It is a very special day for me, I know it is going to be difficult, and I am going to try to enjoy it. I am calm, but as the moment of the match gets closer it gets a bit more complicated, and starting it this way, with this recognition, makes it even more special.

Messi, honorary doctor of UBA: what the award means

With this recognition, Messi joins the list of figures honored by the University of Buenos Aires with its highest academic distinction. The choice of the Ezeiza training ground for the ceremony was not random: it allowed the tribute to take place in the daily environment of the national team, away from the formality of a grand hall but with the same institutional solemnity.

The image of Messi holding the UBA medal and diploma hours before stepping onto the Monumental pitch sums up a career that has transcended sport. The footballer who won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and has claimed eight Ballon d'Or awards now receives an academic honor that values both his sporting excellence and his human dimension and his role as an ambassador of Argentine football around the world.

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