Kidney transplant survivor carries Lionel Messi’s photo to Mount Everest summit, Hopes to gift It to Football legend

KATHMANDU: In an extraordinary story of resilience, inspiration, and global sports admiration, Nepali mountaineer Pemba Sherpa has carried a photo banner of football icon Lionel Messi to the summit of Mount Everest, saying he hopes to personally gift the historic memento to the Argentine superstar.

Sherpa, 38, successfully climbed the world’s highest mountain on May 13, 2025 (Baisakh 30, 2082 BS), becoming the first known kidney transplant recipient to summit Mount Everest, marking a major milestone in both mountaineering and medical resilience.

During his Everest expedition, Sherpa carried a banner featuring Messi kissing the 2022 FIFA World Cup trophy, taking the image to the top of the 8,848.86-meter peak in what he claims is a first-of-its-kind tribute to the football legend atop the world’s tallest mountain.

Inspired by Messi’s Perseverance After Years of Defeat

Sherpa said Messi’s journey — marked by repeated heartbreaks in major international tournaments before finally winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar — became a powerful source of motivation during his own life struggle.

A lifelong admirer of Messi’s “magical football skills and humble personality,” Sherpa said he was deeply inspired by the Argentine captain’s persistence despite years of setbacks.

“When both of my kidneys failed and I was surviving on dialysis, there were moments I nearly gave up on life,” Sherpa said. “But after my transplant, I was given a second chance. Watching Messi continue fighting through failures inspired me to believe I could also achieve something extraordinary.”

Sherpa underwent a kidney transplant nearly two months before Argentina, led by Messi, lifted the World Cup trophy in Qatar in December 2022.

Watching Messi cry tears of joy after years of disappointment deeply moved him, he recalled.

“Seeing Messi finally achieve his biggest dream made me emotional,” Sherpa said. “I thought — if Messi can patiently fight for years and eventually win the World Cup, why can’t I climb Everest?”

From Kidney Failure to the Roof of the World

Originally from Dudhkoshi Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu, Nepal’s famed Everest region, Sherpa was diagnosed with complete kidney failure in 2019 (2076 BS).

He underwent a life-saving kidney transplant on October 19, 2022 (Kartik 2, 2079 BS) at the Shahid Dharmabhakta National Transplant Center in Bhaktapur, receiving a kidney donated by his father.

Just two and a half years later, Sherpa successfully stood atop Mount Everest — an achievement considered extraordinary given the extreme physical demands of high-altitude climbing.

His ascent is already being viewed as an inspiring story in the global transplant and adventure communities, highlighting the possibilities of post-transplant recovery through determination, disciplined health management, and mental resilience.

A Dream to Meet Messi Before the 2026 World Cup

Sherpa said he deliberately revealed the Everest summit photo as global excitement builds toward the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Messi is expected to feature for Argentina.

He says his biggest dream now is to personally meet Messi and hand over the Everest banner as a birthday gift.

“One of my greatest wishes is to meet Messi in person and gift him this historic Everest banner,” Sherpa said. “I want to place it in his hands on his upcoming birthday.”

The emotional connection between the Himalayan climber and the football icon has resonated widely online, blending two global passions — football and Mount Everest adventure — into a story of survival, perseverance, and inspiration.

For Nepal, the story also reinforces the country’s reputation not only as home to Mount Everest expeditions and elite Sherpa climbers, but also as a source of powerful human stories that resonate globally.