Australia midfielder Cameron Devlin did not play a single minute at the 2022 World Cup but left Qatar wearing a Lionel Messi shirt , following Argentina’s 2-1 win over Australia in the round of 16.
Messi found Cameroon Devlin to swap shirts after the Argentina vs Australia match. Photo: FIFA Twitter
The Argentina-Australia match marked Messi’s 1,000th match in his career. The 1987-born star played brilliantly, scoring 1 goal, helping Albiceleste win the match 2-1, thereby qualifying for the quarter-finals. It was also the 789th goal of Messi’s career.
After receiving the award for the best player of the match, Messi took off his shirt to exchange it with Cameron Devlin, who was standing next to him. “Class from Messi. He kept his promise to give his shirt to Cameron Devlin of the Socceroos after the match,” FIFA’s official Twitter shared with the video.
Cameron Devlin, who plays for Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish top flight, has not been given a single minute by manager Graham Arnold at the 2022 World Cup but has received a meaningful gift from Messi.
Many Australian players sought out Messi for photos after the match. Photo: Instagram
According to the young midfielder, after the match against Argentina, he went down to the pitch to encourage his teammates, then went to shake Messi’s hand. “I saw that no one was saying anything, so I tried my luck and asked to exchange shirts. After that, Messi asked to meet me inside. That’s all that happened,” Cameron Devlin shared.
The young Australian midfielder was also surprised when Messi took his shirt. Because in all things, Cameron Devlin cannot compare to Messi. “Messi doesn’t even know who I am, but he is a kind and humble man who respects me,” Devlin said.
Devlin said he would keep Messi’s jersey at home and his father would look after it for him. Besides Devlin, many Australian players proactively sought out Messi to take souvenir photos after the match. “To meet my idol when I was young and the best player in the world, I feel very grateful and lucky,” midfielder Marco Tilio posted a photo with Messi on Instagram with the caption.
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