Lionel Messi has donated €80,000 towards the rebuilding of Madrid’s Sierra Oeste, the mountainous stretch west of the Spanish capital that was torched in late July by one of the largest wildfires in the region’s recorded history.
The Community of Madrid’s regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, announced the contribution on X on Tuesday, 4 August.
“Leo Messi has donated €80,000 for the reconstruction of the Sierra Oeste of Madrid. I want to thank him and tell him that the people of Madrid look forward to welcoming him soon to give him the applause he deserves.”
The Inter Miami forward did not go through a public appeal. According to regional officials cited by Outlook India, representatives from Messi’s camp made direct contact with the Community of Madrid to ensure the funds were channelled to the areas that needed them most.
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The fire behind the donation
The Sierra Oeste wildfire tore through pine forest and villages west of Madrid in the second half of July, affecting 17 municipalities including Pelayos de la Presa, San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Navas del Rey and Fresnedillas de la Oliva, and spilling over into neighbouring parts of Castilla y León.
Over 55,000 residents were forced to flee at the peak of the emergency, according to russpain.com.
Regional figures put the destruction at 100 homes lost and more than 300 damaged, with the burnt area now measured at over 27,000 hectares.
Emergency services said this week the fire is now under control and in the final phase of extinction, though crews remain deployed to monitor hotspots and some residents in Pelayos de la Presa and San Martín de Valdeiglesias are still barred from returning.
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Madrid’s relief fund passes €200,000
The Community of Madrid opened a dedicated donation channel on 29 July, and it had collected close to €200,000 before Messi’s contribution was made public, according to russpain.com.
Messi’s Leo Messi Foundation, set up in 2007, typically focuses on children’s health, education and sports development, but the Argentine has repeatedly used his platform to back disaster relief, and the €80,000 sits alongside earlier personal donations tied to floods and pandemic support.
Ayuso closed her message with an open invitation for Messi to visit the Sierra Oeste, saying its residents were eager to thank him face to face.
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