Lionel Messi scores first half HAT-TRICK in Maxi Rodriguez's farewell game in his Rosario hometown - and the packed stadium even sings him Happy Birthday!<br /><br /> Lionel Messi is back in his hometown Rosario and the whole stadium sang happy birthday.<br /><br />Lionel Messi scored a first half hat-trick in a hometown appearance for an exhibition game paying tribute to his Argentina teammate Maxi Rodriguez.<br /><br /> And the Inter Miami-bound star showed exactly why he is so revered in Argentina with a magnificent display for the 42,000 fans in attendance - he scored a first half hat-trick in the game that saw an Argentina team play club side Newell's Old Boys.<br /><br />The crowd even sang Messi 'happy birthday' and the superstar said after the game that it felt special to spend a birthday in Rosario, the city where he lived as a child before joining Barcelona's soccer academy in his teenage years.<br /><br /> Messi's first goal was after only four minutes, when he whipped a stunning left-footed free kick into the top corner.
