The Argentine football icon granted the boy his wish at the Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv
Messi stepped in to resolve the situation. © Twitter @Lionel30i
Lionel Messi was forced to step to help a young fan who was being held back by security in Tel Aviv after desperately trying to get a photo with the football superstar.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was in fine form on Sunday as Paris Saint-Germain won their first silverware under new coach Christophe Galtier with a 4-0 rout of Nantes in the Trophee des Champions.
Messi scored the opener by rounding Nantes’ goalkeeper Alban Lafont and coolly rolling the ball into an empty net before being joined on the scoresheet by Neymar, who bagged a brace, and defender Sergio Ramos.
Messi's goal from this angle is INSANE.pic.twitter.com/JJIbkMObau
— Hamza (@lapulgafreak) July 31, 2022
After PSG lifted the trophy, Messi headed down the Bloomfield Stadium’s tunnel with his winners’ medal around his neck but had his path blocked by a young fan looking to get close to his idol.
Messi reached out to the youngster, who was then dragged off roughly by a security guard.
Making sure the boy wasn’t thrown back into the stands or worse, Messi went over to defuse the situation and granted the youth what he wanted.
pic.twitter.com/uuh1J4wJft
— Out Of Context Football (@nocontextfooty) August 1, 2022
Letting him take a selfie of the pair, Messi then gave the fan a pat on the head and finally went off on his way.
As footage of the incident spread online, Messi received praise on social media for going out of his way to accommodate the supporter.
“Context: the GOAT is humble,” said one user.
“Ronaldo would have smashed the kid’s phone,” said another, in reference to an ugly incident last season when Messi’s generational rival played away at Everton for Manchester United and later had to apologize to an autistic fan.
Context: the goat is humble
— hugo👎 (@Hug0d26) August 1, 2022
Ronaldo would have smashed the kid's phone
— qualified (@qualifiedd_) August 1, 2022
“The king played on Sunday but the GOAT scored,” was another Ronaldo-Messi remark, in reference to Ronaldo’s mocked comeback announcement for an unflattering 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano where the Portuguese was brought off at half time and later seen leaving Old Trafford before the full time whistle.
With Messi claiming his third trophy for club and country in 2022 through Sunday’s victory, the Argentine has the World Cup in November in his sights to try and make that four.
Before that, however, he must concentrate on getting PSG’s Ligue 1 title defense underway which begins with an away trip to Clermont Foot next Saturday.
