Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi was forced to push away an idiotic supporter following Argentina's 1-1 draw against Ecuador on Wednesday.
The fan filmed himself running on to the pitch moments after the World Cup qualifier. As he approached Messi, 34, he took off his face mask and grabbed the footballer around the neck for a selfie. "Leo, Leo," said the fan. "A photo, I come from the United States."
The Barcelona legend resisted by pushing the fan away, telling him: "Stop, stop." The supporter, a 21-year-old named Jossue, was tackled by a steward within a second or two of grabbing Messi. It's not clear if he's been charged by the authorities for his actions.
The fan shared the video on social media and it's since gone viral. It's received more than 71,000 likes on Instagram. The supporter has since gloated about the incident by sharing memes, including one referencing Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars.
"You only live once and once is enough for me because I met the greatest player of all time," wrote the fan. "My dear Lionel Messi, thank you for all the happy moments you have given me throughout the years with your beautiful football. I love you and this game."
Messi wouldn't have been in the best of moods, as Argentina conceded a 93rd minute equaliser thanks to former West Ham and Everton star Enner Valencia. Manchester City prospect Julian Alvarez opened the scoring in the 24th minute in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
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Both counties had already reached this year's World Cup in Qatar. Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Ecuador are the four teams from South America to qualify, with Peru set to compete in an inter-continental play-off. Colombia and Chile are among those to miss out.
Peru are one of eight nations who can still qualify for the World Cup. Australia, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Scotland, Ukraine, UAE and Wales are the other seven. To date, 29 countries have qualified for this year's tournament, which begins in November.
As hosts, Qatar will compete in their first ever World Cup. Canada will make just their second appearance, while Africa Cup of Nations winners Senegal will make only their fourth outing. Regulars the Netherlands and the US are back after missing out in 2018.
Sweden, Egypt, Nigeria and Italy are among those to miss out. The latter are undoubtedly the biggest surprise, failing to qualify for their second successive World Cup - despite being four-time champions and winning Euro 2020 just eight months ago.
This year's World Cup is likely to be Messi's last. He's arguably the greatest player never to win the World Cup, previously appearing in the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 editions. He was named Player of the Tournament in 2014 after leading Argentina to the final.
Other iconic players expected to play in their last World Cup finals this year include Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Karim Benzema, Sergio Busquets, Thiago Silva, Robert Lewandowski, Manuel Neuer, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
