Barcelona, Apr 14 (EFE).- Lionel Messi gifted the Chinese pharmaceutical Sinovac Biotech with three signed Barcelona shirts to show gratitude for the 50,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine sent to CONMEBOL for South American soccer competitions, including this summer's Copa America.

Barcelona star's gesture was revealed by CONMEBOL's deputy general secretary Gonzalo Belloso.

"Sinovac managers expressed their admiration for Lionel Messi, who willingly sent three shirts for them," Belloso wrote to his Twitter account.

The arrival of the vaccine "is the best news the South America soccer family can receive," head of CONMEBOL, Alejandro Domínguez said on Twitter.

"It is a huge step forward to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic, but it does not mean in no way that we will let our guard down," he added.

These doses provide the players with more security ahead of Copa America, to be held between 11 June and 10 July in Argentina and Colombia. The tournament was suspended last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. EFE

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