Four months after the two deadly earthquakes in Venezuela that caused thousands of deaths, Argentine player Lucas Trejo, who lost his wife and two children, spoke for the first time with an Argentine outlet and revealed the moving gesture Lionel Messi and Antonela Roccuzzo made toward him in the midst of the worst tragedy of his life.

His wife, Yanina Maranella, and his children, Aarón (7) and Ainhoa (6), were found dead in La Guaira.

For days, the Argentine player, along with teammates from his Venezuelan club, searched nonstop for his family with his own hands among the rubble of the Cumanagotto building in Playa Grande, where they lived, which collapsed completely.

In a conversation with journalist Marcelo Palacios on Radio La Red, Trejo said: “I appreciate the space; they had reached out to me when everything happened, but I was not in a condition to speak. I didn’t have the strength to talk about my family. Over time, I knew that by trusting in God, I would be able to strengthen myself, and today I feel a little more whole to speak, although it all remains very difficult for me.”

Speaking about the help he received during the hours of searching for his family, the player highlighted the clubs “Monagas of Venezuela and Inter Miami, a club that has the eyes of the soccer world on it because of Messi. It was the one that showed up the most,” he said.

Lucas Trejo Reveals How Lionel Messi and Antonela Roccuzzo Helped Him After Tragedy

In that context, he recalled that while they were searching for his family, he spent three days “next to a building among the rubble, with 40-degree heat, no electricity; everything was devastated, there was no food.”

“We were 15 or 30 people, and we were there all day. And the first person who helped us, which I was later told because I was very shocked, was Antonela Roccuzzo and her Foundation. She sent us everything we needed to set up a camp so we wouldn’t lack drinks or food.”

“We had internet; we were able to set up a tent to sleep in. She showed up in a big way, and it is something I will never forget. After that, when I arrived in Córdoba, the son of Guillermo Hoyos (former Inter Miami coach) showed up. He arrived with two suitcases of clothes; one of them was sent to me by the club’s workers with things they had bought for me because I had been left with nothing, and they had also collected money to send me in case I needed it,” he added.

“It was a beautiful gesture. Many people send condolences or a message of encouragement, but few do something. I want to highlight that. And the other suitcase was sent to me by Leo Messi, with things, with clothes or sneakers of his. And he sent it to me at this very difficult moment; he was playing in the World Cup. Even so, he showed up,” he stressed, adding: “I wanted to highlight it publicly because the human quality in that club is amazing. I hope to be able to go soon to give them a hug and thank each one of those who had that gesture with me. It is amazing that a player of his worldwide stature, the best player in history, had that gesture with me and my family. I wanted to highlight it and thank him.”