FOOTBALL legend Lionel Messi has donated €80,000 to help rebuild communities near Madrid after a devastating wildfire tore through the region in late July.
The announcement came from Madrid’s regional president, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, who thanked the Argentinian forward in a post on X on Tuesday.
“The people of Madrid hope to welcome him soon so we can give him the applause he deserves,” she wrote.
Around 100 homes have been destroyed in Madrid’s Sierra Oeste – a mountainous area west of the capital – after a massive wildfire ripped through more than 27,000 hectares of forests and farmland.
The blaze affected 17 towns in Madrid province and forced more than 55,000 residents to evacuate or remain indoors.
A simultaneous fire in nearby Avila, the largest in Spain’s recorded history, scorched 55,000 hectares and forced nearly 30,000 people to evacuate or shelter in their homes.
The twin blazes prompted the government to declare a national emergency – the first in the country’s history due to a natural disaster – for Madrid, Avila and nearby Toledo.
Following a week-long battle against the advancing flames, firefighters were able to bring the emergency under control on July 29, though crews are still dealing with hotspots and the risk of re-ignition amid high summer temperatures.
The Madrid regional government has set up a dedicated platform where donors can pledge money for reconstruction, though Ayuso has not specified whether Messi’s donation came through the portal.
The former Barcelona superstar, 39, has previously made headlines with large donations following humanitarian disasters in Spain and abroad.
In 2024, he pledged nearly €1 million to help rebuild Valencia after torrential rain caused catastrophic flash flooding across the province, killing 222 people.
In 2020, he donated €1.1 million to hospitals in Barcelona and other medical centres across Spain amid the Covid pandemic, while also pledging around €500,000 to Argentinian hospitals for ventilators and other supplies.
A UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2010, Messi has also funded relief efforts in Haiti and Venezuela following devastating earthquakes and supported children’s educational programmes in Syria.
Now a player for Inter Miami CF in the US’s MLS, he recently led the Argentinian national team to its second consecutive World Cup final with eight goals and four assists.
Argentina then lost the final 1-0 to Spain, leaving an emotional Messi in tears as he watched La Roja players celebrate their second World Cup victory.
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