In a heart-warming gesture, Lionel Messi on Sunday intervened when the guards were taking away a young fan who was trying to approach him. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner also took a selfie with the boy.
The episode occurred after his recent match for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in Tel Aviv, Israel, when Messi was walking down the stadium tunnel. The young supporter ran up to him but was stopped by the security guards. As they tried to take him away, Messi intervened.
The boy dropped his phone in the commotion but got hold of it against as Messi put his hands on his shoulder and posed for a selfie. They both hugged before he was again taken away by the guards.
The young admirer was given a moment he would never, ever forget by the Argentine superstar through this act of compassion.
Watch the video here:
The internet loved Messi's gesture. At the time of writing, the clip had been viewed over 3.3 million times, and received about 62,000 likes.
One user wrote, "That kid is going to remember and talk about this moment for the rest of his life. This is what makes Messi GOAT apart from his out of this world skills.”
Another user shared the selfie of Messi with the kid and wrote, “A moment to remember for the rest of his life.”
A few people even criticised the security's behaviour towards the kid.
However, there were also people who empathised with the security and felt that they were just doing their job.
Another user felt "being security is no easy job".
Here are a few more reactions:
In the match, PSG defeated Nantes in the Trophee des Champions final.
