A mural of a young Lionel Messi in a Newell's Old Boys jersey, tiny and barefoot with a soccer ball in front of him, inspires hundreds of young people at the Argentine club's youth school to dream of succeeding like their hometown hero. Messi's surprise decision to leave Barcelona earlier this week has sparked unlikely dreams in residents of Rosario, the city where he was born, that he would return to play with the local team, Newell's Old Boys.

Hundreds of Newell's fans formed a noisy and colourful caravan of vehicles on Thursday that went from Rosario's—Marcelo Bielsa—stadium to its Flag Monument, the symbol of this city. Newell's fans know they don't have the millions to offer the superstar that the owners of European clubs Manchester City, PSG or Inter Milan do.