Lionel Messi Given Outrageous Birthday Reception In Newell's Old ...

Lionel Messi was given an outrageous birthday reception at his boyhood club Newell's Old Boys.

Football legend Lionel Messi was given an outrageous welcome back to his first club Newell's Old Boys in hometown Rosario on Saturday night, scoring a wonder free kick in a testimonial match shortly after.

The Argentina captain and soon-to-be Inter Miami forward was at the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa for the farewell party of his close friend Maxi Rodriguez.

As shown in footage from SportsCenter in his homeland, Messi was given a lengthy introduction by an MC while shown calmly talking to others in the changing room.

The stadium was in darkness save for the cell phone lights of fans in attendance, who started to get excited when the MC mentioned that the next guest was present on his birthday and put two and two together.

Tension built as the announcer explained that the guest was "back in his house", and he was then referred to by his nickname "La Pulga" ("The Flea") ahead of being properly named in full.

"The Champion" and "the most Argentine of Argentines" then started to make his way out of the locker room and down a flight of stairs as some fireworks were left off.

Then as he came up onto the pitch, pandemonium ensued and one part of the stadium turned into a sea of red flares and pyrotechnics.

Messi waved to the fans, who sang at the top of their lungs to welcome back the "Prodigal Son" as SportsCenter described him; the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner who left Newell's as a shy 13-year-old for FC Barcelona to rewrite the history of European football.

As another piece of footage shows, the stadium also sang Happy Birthday to the World Cup winner.

In a quick pitchside interview as the fans continued to bellow terrace chants, Messi noted that it was his first birthday as a world champion and that it is "always beautiful" to be back in Rosario where the people were always "so affecionate" with him.

Then pulling on his Argentina kit for Rodriguez's tribute match, Messi scored a wonder free kick within a matter of minutes.

Granted it wasn't as quick as the fastest goal of his career earlier this month against Australia in Beijing. But already hitting the back of the net within three minutes and 40 seconds is impressive nonetheless.

Free from his Paris Saint-Germain contract in six days' time, Messi can officially join Inter Miami on July 1 and then plan his North American debut in the coming weeks.