The extent of Messi’s influence transcends imagination, as evidenced by a recent incident in Thailand where an Argentine woman was rescued by local police after proving her association with Messi.
Florencia Moncalvillo, a renowned travel blogger from Argentina, possesses a notable presence on Instagram with 38.3 thousand followers. The 35-year-old woman had liquidated all her assets to finance her global travel endeavors. In an interview with TN, Florencia recounted the most extraordinary experience of her life, which unfolded in Thailand.
“I was on a beach on an island in Thailand, surrounded by wooden houses with a view of the sea. My phone had run out of battery, and I approached a small house to plug in my charger to an external power outlet. As I was about to plug it in, a sudden American man appeared. He seemed furious and forcibly pulled me to the reception desk,” Florencia narrated the unusual encounter.
“I have never seen anyone so angry,” Florencia recalled. At the reception desk, the man confiscated her phone and informed the staff that Florencia had illegally plugged her charger into his house’s wall socket. It was then that Florencia realized that charging at another house was prohibited on this island.
“The receptionist began interrogating why I did that. I was very anxious as I didn’t speak English. With what little vocabulary I had, I tried to explain that I was just looking for a place to charge my phone. The receptionist scolded me for not coming to the front desk to ask for charging assistance,” Florencia recounted.
The American man escalated matters by calling the police. “A Portuguese tourist stood up for me. I explained to him that I was not a criminal, that I hadn’t done anything,” Florencia revealed.
Two Thai police officers arrived about 20 minutes later. They questioned the receptionist and asked to see Florencia’s passport. “How could I carry my passport when going to the beach? But luckily, I had taken a picture of it on my phone. When they saw my passport, they expressed surprise at discovering that I was from Argentina.”
However, the American persisted in his demands, urging the police to detain the Argentine woman. The Thai officers remained silent and simply led Florencia away from the reception desk.
After walking about ten meters and escaping the scrutiny of the demanding American, the police finally released Florencia, displaying relief. “They exclaimed in my face: Messi, Messi. They hugged me excitedly. They told me they were huge fans of Messi. They bid me farewell happily,” Florencia reminisced about her dramatic escape.
Florencia is also a fan of Messi and the Argentine national team. During the 2022 World Cup, she flew to Qatar and didn’t miss any matches on the journey to Messi and his teammates’ World Cup triumph. However, Florencia could never have anticipated that being a fellow countrywoman of Messi would help her evade a major predicament in Thailand.