The video of Sergi Roberto
Just days after 8-year-old Naveh Shoham was freed from Hamas captivity on Saturday, after he was abducted with his family from their home in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7, he received a surprise message from a member of his favorite soccer team.
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Barcelona's Sergi Roberto, the husband of Israeli model Coral Simanovich, sent the little fan an invitation to come and see a match. "Naveh, I'm so happy to know that you are home," said the right-back in the video.
"I know you are a very big fan of Barca (shortage for Barcelona), so I invite you to come to a game whenever you will be in Barcelona," Roberto said.
Naveh Shoham reacts to the video
Naveh's love for the game was noted while he was still being held by Hamas. At the press conference ahead of the Israel national team's match against Switzerland in the Euro qualifiers earlier this month, team captain Eli Dasa held up Naveh's soccer boot and said, "No one here can guess the story behind the shoe. This boy is in the Gaza Strip with six members of his family, and this is what remains of him, this shoe. We are waiting for him to come back." Before the match against Kosovo, the national team's shirt with Naveh's name was hung in the dressing room, and the players trained in Hungary with one shoe.
Naveh's name has also reached the Allianz Arena, Bayern Munich's home stadium. In the game against Heidenheim, the German champion hosted the families of the captives, including Naveh's family. Bayern even provided the families with club jerseys with the inscription "Bring them back home," alongside a jersey with Naveh's name.