Lionel Messi lends pal Luis Suarez £12m private jet to fly to Uruguay and seal emotional Nacional transfer return
LUIS SUAREZ has sealed his sensational return to first club Nacional in Uruguay thanks to a helping hand from his best friend Lionel Messi.
The Paris Saint-Germain striker lent his former Barcelona teammate his £12million plane so he could jet to his homeland with his family in style on Sunday.
The jet, which boasts Messi’s No10 on the tail, features his name along with those of his wife Antonela and children Thiago, Ciro and Mateo on its steps.
And the seven-times Ballon d’Or winner also made his mark on Suarez’s official presentation to fans at Nacional’s Gran Parque Central stadium hours after he touched down.
The ex-Liverpool frontman struggled to contain his emotions as Messi, who he holidayed with at a £250,000 a-week mansion on a private island off the north coast of Ibiza earlier this summer, congratulated his pal on his transfer.
As part of a video package put together by Nacional and screened during a three-hour party organised to welcome back Suarez, Messi confirmed he would be following the club’s progress from Paris.
The 35-dad-of-three said affectionately: “I want to send you a big hug and wish you all the best in this new stage of your career.
“I know how important it is for you to be there at Nacional, back at home and in your country after so long, to prepare for the World Cup which is just round the corner.
“Now I’m going to have to follow Nacional from here.”
He added as Suarez grinned from ear to ear: “You know I love you a lot and would do anything for you. I wish you all the best and hope to see you soon.”
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The plane the Uruguayan international arrived on with wife Sofia Balbi and three children Delfina, Benjamin and Lautaro, was made by a company in Argentina and designed for Messi as well as his family.
It has its very own kitchen, two bathrooms and seats for 16 people. The chairs can also be folded up and turned into eight beds.
Suarez was met at Uruguay’s main international airport in the Carrasco neighbourhood of the capital Montevideo by Nacional’s president Jose Fuentes.
An estimated 50,000 fans were waiting to greet him at the club’s stadium.
Suarez described his reception as “incredible and unforgettable” adding: “What began as a dream is today a reality.”
Before his official presentation he posted a selfie on his Instagram from the Nacional dressing room doing a thumbs up in front of a row of his number nine shirts.
His wife posted incredible footage on her Instagram of excited fans lining the road from the airport to the stadium and crowding round Suarez’s chauffeur-driven car to greet their idol.
The striker, expected to take part in his last World Cup in Qatar starting in November, confirmed earlier this week he was returning to Nacional after becoming a free agent when his contract at Atletico Madrid expired in June.
He left the Uruguayan club 16 years ago to head to Europe.
Revealing the news in a video on Instagram he said: “I’ve now reached a pre-agreement in order to join Nacional, it was impossible for me to say no to this opportunity.
“I hope final details will be resolved soon in order to complete the deal officially.”