Meeting a superstar like Messi is considered a dream for many fans. However, this boy not only met but also played football with the Argentine striker.
Mackenzie O’Neill, a young soccer enthusiast (11 years old), has just experienced the most magical time of her life. On a sunny and windy summer afternoon on the beach, O’Neill was playing soccer alone when suddenly someone came and invited him to play with her.
At first O’Neill thought it was just a normal football enthusiast like him. However, after following him, he was shocked to see Lionel Messi standing with his son Thiago. It turned out that the person who invited him to play football with him was Messi’s father, Jorge.
Talking about his “magical” afternoon, O’Neill shared with Ole: “Messi was with his family on the beach. I was playing football alone nearby. After a while, Jorge gave me the ball and asked if I wanted to come and play with them. So we played football with Thiago and Messi for about 45 minutes.”
“Thiago is a fantastic player for his age (6 years old), and to play with Messi is unbelievable. Messi’s wife, Antonella Roccuzzo, speaks very good English and translated for us. After playing football, I swam with Messi and then got on a small boat to go out to sea.”
“Messi carried me on his shoulders and Thiago went with me everywhere. It was really fun to play with Messi. He acted like a normal father. I realized he really enjoyed seeing his son playing with other children. At the end of the trip, Messi’s family said goodbye to me with a big smile. I will definitely never forget them.”
O’Neil took a photo with Messi on the beach.
Mackenzie O’Neill, 11, is already on Instagram. A photo with Messi has garnered over 30,000 likes, despite having less than 3,000 followers.
O’Neil is probably the luckiest man this year because in just a few days Messi will return to Barca to train in preparation for the new season. The opportunity to “go to the beach to play football with your idol” clearly does not appear a second time.
