Lionel Messi’s name was enough to rescue an Argentinian grandmother from her Hamas kidnappers in Gaza, as she describes her horrifying moment.
On the fateful morning of October 7, 2023, Ester Cunio (90 years old) faced a nightmare when armed intruders broke into her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel. Along with eight family members, Ester faced the terrifying prospect of being kidnapped and taken to Gaza. However, just one sentence changed the course of events – that was when she mentioned Lionel Messi’s name.
Faced with gunmen demanding her family’s whereabouts, Ester’s revelation of her Argentine heritage and love of football, especially Messi, caused a notable change in the attacker’s attitude. 90 year old lady.
The mention of Messi’s name acted as a beacon of hope in the darkness of terror, causing the gunman to drop his hostility and even pose for a photo with Ester.
Speaking candidly about her incident with Fuente Latina (via Marca ), Ms. Ester said: “I told them that I communicate in Argentine, Spanish. I don’t understand his language, I don’t know Arabic and I speak Hebrew poorly. I only speak Argentine and Spanish so he asked Argentina.”
Then the old man said: “Do you watch football? He said he liked it and I said that I came from Messi’s country. He was very surprised and told me that he loved Messi and then put his hand on my shoulder, gave me his gun, then made me do the peace sign and take pictures.”
Still, Ester’s joy was tempered by the pain of knowing that her grandchildren were still imprisoned in Gaza. She has now fervently asked Messi to intervene on behalf of her detained grandchildren so that they too can be saved.
“If Messi knew that I mentioned him and was saved, I would now ask about my grandchildren who are locked up there. I would tell him to pray to God.”
Despite widespread attention from Ester’s story, there has been no official confirmation from Messi regarding the incident. However, the story highlights that the 2022 World Cup champion’s profound impact has gone far beyond sports, serving as a symbol of hope and solidarity in the darkest of moments.
