Didier Drogba:
“When Messi and some other players were promoting a beverage company before the 2010 World Cup, Messi met some people in a remote village deep in the African forest. He played football with them, but at the end, he said to me in a serious tone, ‘Didier, do you see these people drinking dirty water while we earn millions of euros?’
The next day, I heard from the company’s manager that Messi had donated his entire share from the advertisement to dig wells for the village and to build a good hospital, a school, a football field, and other facilities.
The best part was that he insisted his name not be mentioned in the donation. Six months later, Messi sent a doctor, an accountant, and an engineer to the village to make sure the money had reached the right people and that the projects were actually built.
Do you know the phrase that has stayed with me to this day? On the plane back to South Africa, I asked him, ‘Why all this secrecy?’ He gave me an answer I’ll never forget:
‘Because Africa doesn’t need advertisements; it needs action. Real deeds don’t need certificates!’
Messi’s greatest goals were never recorded on the field, but in the hearts of those who don’t even know football. And for those who do, they know Messi is the greatest player in the history of the game.”