A Lionel Messi superfan could not contain his disbelief after meeting the Inter Miami star from his car window and getting a kiss on the cheek from his hero.
Messi, who arrived in the United States last month after finalizing his mega-money switch to Miami, can be seen waiting in traffic when spotted by the fan in question and approached at his car window in a clip posted on social media.
After winding down the window, the Argentina captain accepts a handshake before the boy leans in with his cheek in the hope of receiving a kiss.
Messi duly obliges, kissing him on the cheek much to the delight of the supporter, who can be heard saying: ‘Te amo Messi (I love you Messi)’ as he drove away.
Moments after earning a kiss from a player many consider to be the greatest in soccer history, the fan appears close to tears as he holds his head in shock at what has just played out.
Lionel Messi left one of his superfans in disbelief by giving him a kiss from his car window
Messi first accepted a handshake from the fan when he was approached at his car window
The boy then leant in with his cheek in the hope of receiving a kiss – and Messi duly obliged
Messi mania has well and truly hit the States this summer, with another fan kissing Miami’s superstar signing as he left a restaurant in the city last month.
Prior to official confirmation of his transfer, the 36-year-old attempted to leave Italian restaurant Cafe Prima Pasta in Miami Beach through the back door with his family, wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their three sons, Mateo, Thiago and Ciro, while his dad Jorge also appeared to be with them.
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But even with a sneaky exit and the attempts of owner Gerardo Cea to move the crowd back, he was instantly swarmed by fans asking for photos and autographs.
One fan in an Argentina jersey stopped the soccer icon for a selfie in the street and, as he held the camera up for a snap, he snatched his chance to bizarrely kiss Messi on the cheek.
Messi seemed largely unfazed by the moment and moved away to catch up with his wife Antonela and their children.
The former Barcelona and Paris St-Germain forward has certainly hit the ground running for Miami, scoring seven goals in his first four games for the club.
After firing home a spectacular 94th-minute free-kick winner on his debut against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup, he has followed it up by scoring twice in each of his next three appearances.
In his last outing, Messi also tucked away his penalty as Miami prevailed in a Leagues Cup shootout against FC Dallas.
The fan was left close to tears after being kissed by arguably the greatest soccer player ever
Emotional fan KISSES Lionel Messi in Miami after leaving restaurant
Messi has made an incredible start to his Miami career, scoring seven goals in four games
Less than a month after signing for the team, he is already Miami’s joint-fourth highest scorer of all time with seven goals, drawing level with current teammate Josef Martinez as well as Lewis Morgan and Rodolfo Pizarro.
The only players to have scored more than him for Inter Miami are Gonzalo Higuain (29), and current Inter players Leo Campana (16) and Robert Taylor (8).
As he sat in awe at his latest display on Sunday night, Apple TV’s Taylor Twellman even compared Messi to NFL legend Tom Brady.
Twellman pointed to an odd own-goal scored by Dallas defender Marco Farfan off the end of a Messi free kick to halve the deficit.
The longtime MLS commentator said that in addition to sheer star power, Miami, ‘also have the opposition scoring worldly goals like Marco Farfan. I don’t know what I saw – and they just make you crumble.
‘It’s eerily similar in other sports: when the great ones come in, they force you to do stuff that’s out of your element. You’re uncomfortable doing so.
‘The New England Patriots did this every single time. People would see a ghost when [Bill] Belichick and Brady showed up.
‘In the four games [Messi’s played in], every single time someone [on the opposition] has seen a ghost because Messi is on the other side.’