Paris – the city of light is now plunged into the darkness of mourning when the name Lionel Messi, the greatest football legend of all time, resounded in an unprecedented tragedy. Just 30 minutes ago, Messi’s luxury supercar suddenly lost control on the highway outside Paris, collided repeatedly and then exploded violently. The accident not only paralyzed the main traffic route for many hours but also left an inconsolable pain in the hearts of millions of fans.
The scene was like an apocalyptic picture. Black smoke billowed into the sky, the smell of burning gasoline spread for kilometers. Many witnesses still shuddered as they recounted: “I saw his car rushing out of control, then just a second later, the red fire engulfed everything. The sound of the explosion shook the ground, the windows of the surrounding cars shattered.” Paparazzi happened to be following and managed to capture the terrifying moment, the flashes mixed with the fire made the scene even more chaotic.
Fans cried out in panic. Some people rushed closer, desperately calling Messi’s name, but the police immediately blocked off the area to prevent further casualties. Firefighters and paramedics rushed in, urgently pulling Messi out of the burnt-out car. His body was covered in blood, and he was completely unconscious. Medical staff immediately performed CPR at the scene, applying an oxygen mask and performing continuous cardiac compressions in the thick smoke. The ambulance siren blared throughout the already jammed road, the red and blue lights flashing repeatedly like a scene from an apocalyptic movie.
The ambulance rushed straight to Saint-Louis Hospital. Inside the ICU, doctors were racing against death. The monitor kept flashing red alarms, the medical team used all their strength to shock him, inject adrenaline, and fight for each fragile heartbeat. One doctor whispered: “He’s had multiple cardiac arrests… we’ve never seen such a difficult case.” The news spread like wildfire, causing thousands of fans to surround the hospital, hugging No. 10 shirts, lighting candles and praying in tears.
Global social networks exploded. Hashtags #PrayForMessi and #GoodbyeMessi covered Twitter, TikTok, Instagram. Cristiano Ronaldo – the great rival – choked up and wrote: “Today football lost its soul. I lost a rival and a brother.” The French President also spoke on live television: “Messi is the pride of global football. Paris will forever remember him.”
The climax of the tragedy came when the hospital officially confirmed that Lionel Messi had passed away. Sobs echoed in the hallway. The crowd outside burst into tears, some people collapsed in the arms of the police. A double incident occurred when the hospital fence collapsed due to the crowd of fans, dozens of injured people had to be hospitalized. In the sky, a television helicopter recorded the incident of a light collision with a drone, making the scene even more chaotic.
Tonight, Paris was not brightly lit by lights but lit up by a giant sea of candles. Along the Champs-Élysées, tens of thousands of fans lined up in silence, holding up a portrait of Messi covered in white flowers. At the Parc des Princes, flags were lowered to half-mast, thousands of fans sang the song Argentina in tears. People talked about a state funeral, about an immortal monument that would be built right at the football field where he once shone.
Lionel Messi – a football genius, a symbol of humility and talent – left this world in a sea of death, leaving an eternal void in the history of sports and in the hearts of millions of people.
