Lionel Messi in Hotel Mitland

The absolute star in world football is known by everyone. Lionel Messi became world champion and he is still regarded as the very best player on the international fields. Even as a youth player, he became world champion. And that happened in 2005 in the Netherlands. The then 19-year-old Argentine superstar in the making stayed during this tournament at Hotel Mitland. "He is probably the most famous guest we have had here," says Mirjam Zuidam about Messi.

Mirjam Zuidam has been working at Hotel Mitland for 20 years now. After many different roles within the organization, she is now the sales manager for Groups, Conference & Events. Mirjam is responsible for booking large groups at Mitland. Over the years, there have been many special guests who found their accommodation in the Utrecht hotel.

Messi on the phone with Maradonna
In 2005, the buzz was already in the hotel. "Messi is coming to stay here," Mirjam recounts about that time. "For many, the Argentine was still an unknown 19-year-old boy who happened to play in Barcelona. And we didn't know what to expect. But he already turned out to be the absolute star of the team. We saw that from the interest in his person."

The current superstar was voted 'the most valuable player' of the Youth World Cup 2005. On the terrace of Restaurant Vlonders, Lionel Messi received the Golden Boot as an award. And suddenly, while the cameras were rolling, the young Messi got a call from his great idol Diego Maradonna. "It remains a well-known fragment from the NOS, partly because it's on YouTube. Just search for Messi and Hotel Mitland." That his stay at Hotel Mitland made an impression is evident from the recurring question from guests at the reception. "It's incredible, but almost 19 years later, there is still demand for the room where Messi slept those days."