Lionel Messi’s Historic Visit to Martínez Valero Stadium

On Thursday morning, El Martínez Valero Stadium experienced an unforgettable event with the presence of Lionel Messi and the Argentine national team, which trained in front of over 20,000 spectators.

Christian Bragarnik, the owner of Elche, valued the occasion during a press conference, admitting that the arrival of the Albiceleste was a mere coincidence. He stated, “I am thankful to the AFA and the players. I offered it out of chance, and they received it well. For Elche, hosting such events is beneficial; having the Spanish national team visit recently and now Argentina shows that our stadium is up to par.”

The Argentine businessman expressed his expectations for a full house: “Yesterday, I thought that Leo hadn’t played here since the match at the Bernabéu, and having the best player in the world alongside the world champions was something I anticipated.” He even playfully allowed himself to dream of seeing Messi at Elche: “Yes, yes, we would open our doors to him; that would be a topic for another discussion.”

Bragarnik also took the opportunity to discuss Elche’s current standing, expressing satisfaction with the team’s performance after twelve matches. “I am happy; while the last few matches did not yield the points we expected, form is what truly matters. People connect with what they see, and with our approach, we are a daring team that does not fear the Primera División. Our goal remains to fight for survival,” he assured.

Reflecting on the club’s situation, Bragarnik expressed pride in the current moment for the entity: “When I arrived, I promised hard work and effort to place Elche where it deserves to be. The fans have trusted us, and we are in a great moment.”

Regarding the controversy surrounding ticket prices for the match against Real Madrid, Bragarnik defended the club’s management: “The stadium will be full. We capped the number of season ticket holders at 27,000 to avoid having ticketing throughout the year. By offering 17 matches to the public and seeing minimal sales, we needed to value this event, especially with Madrid visiting.”

He acknowledged the challenges of setting fair prices: “I understand that the lack of differentiation between adult and child tickets has caused some uproar, but today, there were people reselling tickets, and this will happen against Madrid as well. In the past, tickets priced at 15 euros have been resold for 100 euros, and that is what we aimed to prevent.”

Bragarnik concluded with heartfelt remarks, proud to see the stands filled with compatriots and families: “It is an honor for everyone to enjoy this experience. Watching Messi live is something historic and beautiful; it is a dream fulfilled for many children.”