Lionel Messi receives threatening message after attack on family's store in Argentina

Lionel Messi received a threatening message after an attack on a store in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina on Thursday, local police confirmed to multiple outlets.

Someone reportedly opened fire on the Unico grocery store owned by the family of Messi's wife, Antonela Roccuzzo. There were 14 shots that hit the front door and shutters of the building. Witnesses saw two people riding away from the scene on a motorcycle. No one was injured in the attack.

The gunmen left a note for the La Albiceleste and Paris Saint-Germain star in Spanish on a piece of cardboard that said, "Messi, we are waiting for you. (Rosario mayor Pablo) Javkin is a narco. He can not take care of you."

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Rosario, the third-largest city in Argentina, is considered the country's drug capital. In 2021, there were 23 murders per 100,000 people.

Javkin spoke to local media after the shooting and said he works hard to bring peace, but he can only do so much to curb the violence. He said the city needs the involvement of Santa Fe governor Omar Perotti and Argentinian president Alberto Fernández.

"I am the mayor of the city," he said in Spanish. "... I do not manage the security forces and when I asked for it they would not let me."

Messi won his first World Cup — Argentina's third — in December and was named FIFA's best men's player in February.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lionel Messi receives threat after attack on family's store