Lionel Messi has generously offered up his private jet worth £12million to his Argentina team-mates for the international duty.
Argentina is going to take on Ecuador and Bolivia in their first two 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches on October 8 and 13.
And, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Messi has offered up the use of his plane to Argentine stars who are currently playing in Europe in order to help them stay safe. The teammates joined Messi on the jet include Marcos Acuna, Lucas Ocampos, Paulo Dybala, Juan Foyth, and Nicolas Otamendi.
The five stars of Argentina will later join him on the return trip back to Spain in order to limit interaction at public airports.
The 33-year-old Barcelona star used the £12m Gulfstream V jet for the first time in 2018. He has used it on several occasions in the past few years.
Earlier this year, his private plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Brussels because of a technical fault.
The luxury plane boasts a number of incredible features, such as its very own kitchen and two bathrooms. It has enough seats for 16 people. The chairs can be folded up and turned into eight beds so that the players can get some needed nap on the long flight to South America.
The football talent has the names of his family members adorned on the plane, with his wife Antonella, their children Ciro, Mateo, and Thiago, all having their names written on the stair steps. The jet also boasts the superstar’s iconic No. 10 on the tail.
Meanwhile, thanks to his participation in international duty, Messi could miss this month’s El Clasico.
The game against Real Madrid is currently scheduled to be held on October 25 – just 12 days after the Bolivia clash, two days within the 14-day quarantine timeframe.
He would also likely miss the match with Getafe on October 18.