Sherpa Pemba Carries Messi’s Banner to the Summit of Mount Everest, Hopes to Gift It in Person
Mount Everest climber Pemba Sherpa successfully carried a banner featuring the image of Lionel Messi to the peak of Everest on April 13, 2025 (Baisakh 30, 2082 BS). Pemba expressed his desire to meet Messi in person and present the banner as a gift. Kathmandu, May 16 – Pemba Sherpa, who climbed Everest on April 13, 2025, became the first climber to carry a photograph of the world-renowned footballer Lionel Messi to the highest point on Earth.
The 38-year-old Sherpa, who underwent a kidney transplant, achieved this remarkable feat, marking him as the first person to summit Everest after kidney transplantation. Alongside this historic climb, he took the photograph of the globally celebrated football star to the summit.
Pemba explained that the banner was displayed as the 2026 FIFA World Cup approached, with Messi preparing to compete in the tournament. He claims to be the first to bring Messi’s image to Everest’s peak. Pemba shared that Messi’s magical playing style and graceful personality have captivated him since his youth. He also drew significant inspiration from Messi’s perseverance in the face of repeated near victories, as the player continued to advance with patience and courage.
“When both of my kidneys failed and I depended on dialysis, I often felt disheartened about life,” Pemba said. “But after the kidney transplant, I was given a second chance at life and managed to reach the summit of Everest in good health.” When Argentina, captained by Messi, won the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Pemba had recently undergone kidney transplantation just two months prior. He witnessed the emotional moments of Messi smiling and crying on television — a defining and long-awaited success in Messi’s career after many setbacks.
“I thought, if Messi can win the World Cup after years of perseverance, why shouldn’t I be able to climb the mountain?” Pemba said. “With that spirit, carrying the kidney my father gave me and the banner with Messi’s photo in my hands, I reached the summit of Everest.” The banner showed Messi kissing the World Cup trophy, now preserved at Everest’s peak.
Pemba expressed his wish to meet Messi in person and present the historic banner as a gift. “I have one wish — to meet Messi and hand over this banner to him on the occasion of his upcoming birthday,” he added. A native of Dudhkoshi Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu, Pemba was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2019 (2076 BS). He underwent kidney transplantation at the Shahid Dharma Bhakta Transplant Center in Bhaktapur on October 18, 2022 (Kartik 2, 2079 BS). Approximately two and a half years later, he successfully completed the Everest ascent.
