Lionel Messi is the latest global celebrity to be awarded a star on Dubai’s upcoming Walk of Fame project.
“We’re incredibly excited to give out our next "Dubai Star" to the all-time highest goalscorer in @LaLiga and the youngest football player to win 4 Ballon d'Or awards,” the Walk of Fame’s official Twitter account tweeted. "Congratulations Lionel Messi!”
The Barcelona superstar was named as a brand ambassador for Expo 2020 back in 2016. In May of this year he appeared in a promotional video for the event, taking his silky footballing skills around the globe and uniting different nationalities through the universal language of football.
The FIFA world player of the year was also spotted in Dubai last October, when he popped into the Nusret-Et Dubai restaurant for a bite alongside Manchester United star Paul Pogba. The duo enjoyed an up close and personal meat cutting session with the restaurant's celebrity chef/owner Nusret Gökçe before he fed them piece of meat directly from his knife.
Messi is the third confirmed recipient of a star on Dubai's Walk of Fame. Yesterday it was announced that Bollywood giant Shah Rukh Khan, a regular Dubai visitor who is also the face of Dubai Tourism's Be My Guest campaign would be receiving a star, while Lebanese designer Elie Saab was awarded the first star back in April.
Saab is currently collaborating with Dubai real estate development company Emaar on luxury, branded apartments offering Palm Jumeirah, Dubai skyline and Arabian Gulf views. They will be located at Emaar Beachfront, an under-development residential community in Dubai Harbour off the shore of Dubai Marina near Palm Jumeirah, which will be comprised of more than 20 towers.
Emaar announced the Dubai Stars project, a local version of the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, in March this year. It is set to be located on Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown Dubai.
In total, there will be 10,000 stars on the walk. However, to begin with, there will be 400 Dubai Stars, which will be voted for by the public and unveiled this October.
The Dubai Walk of Fame will pay homage to local and international personalities from various fields including music and film, of course, but also art, architecture, sport and literature, as well as social influencers.
If you want to nominate anyone for a Dubai Star, act fast. Voting closes at midnight (GST) on Friday, June 30. Visit nominate.thedubaistars.com
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Lionel Messi trains ahead of the Copa America quarter-finals
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Argentina's Lionel Messi smiles during training ahead of the Copa America quarter-final with Venezuela. Reuters -
Messi and teammates during training. Reuters -
Messi and teammates work on tactics during training. Reuters -
Messi relaxes with a ball under his foot. Reuters -
There was a relaxed feeling to Argentina's final training session. Reuters -
Messi puts in a sprint. AP Photo -
Argentina have been slow out of the blocks at the tournament but Messi and his teammates will look to change that against Venezuela. AP Photo -
Messi and Angel Di Maria warm up. AP Photo -
Messi sprints during training. EPA -
From left: Juan Foyth, Nicolas Otamendi, Messi, Ramiro Funes Mori and Roberto Pereyra take part in a training session. AFP -
Rodrigo De Paul, left, Otamendi, centre, and Messi have a fun moment during training. AP Photo -
Messi stands on his own in an apparent moment of thought during training. AP Photo
