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Lionel Messi has been unanimously adjudged as one of the all-time greats in football history by fans and critics alike. The Argentine genius has weaved his magic countless times for his club and country, which has seen him win a plethora of titles.
Messi is a prominent name in the G.O.A.T. debate after reaching almost all milestones in his 17-year illustrious career. The Argentine has claimed a record haul of six Ballon d'Or awards and six European Golden Shoes, among other notable accolades.
In regards to his club career, Messi has won every trophy there is in club football and notably won the Champions League four times. Messi shut down all his critics when he won the Copa America trophy this year with Argentina ending his nation's long drought for silverware.
Messi's persona off the field is quiet but the former Blaugrana captain keeps making noises by providing a helping hand to many. Behind all the achievements, there lies a man with a golden heart and amazing personality. On that note, let's take a look at 5 heartwarming incidents between Lionel Messi and fans.
#5 Stopping his car to gift a jersey
During his days at Barcelona, Messi was stopped by a fan on his way back home. The Argentine maestro was returning to his place following Barcelona's win over Real Sociedad in the 2020-21 La Liga campaign when he was stopped by a fan.
Instead of ignoring his supporters, Messi went the extra mile and gladly gifted the fan a jersey of his with a smile on his face. The forward was always kind to his fans and this heartwarming gesture of his won over the hearts of Barcelona fans.
#4 A touching gesture to a young fan
Messi made the day of a 11-year old fan through a touching gesture after the young supporter was pulled away by security. Luciano Viejo, the 11-year old, was desperate to meet his idol before Argentina's match against Uruguay in Montevideo.
The young fan was dying to meet with Messi and evaded security for a chance to click a picture with the Argentine genius. Eventually, the staff caught Viejo sneaking in to meet Messi and pulled the boy away. Messi noticed the disheartened fan and made the security to bring him back.
Messi's touching gesture made the fan extremely happy, who also got to click a picture with him.
#3 A heartfelt video message to a 100-year old fan
Argentina captain Lionel Messi sent a heartfelt video message to his 100-year old fan which went viral on social media. Don Hernon, the 100-year old Spaniard, became famous due to his passionate support for the Argentine.
Hernon recorded Messi's each and every goal for Argentina and for the clubs he played for. He has also allegedly filled hundreds of notebooks by noting every goal with a pencil.
Messi noticed the passionate Spaniard and left a short message for Hernon. In the video, the Argentine said:
"Hello Hernan, Your story reached me. It seems crazy to me that you have been recording my goals and in that way, and that is why I wanted to send you a big hug and thank you for what you do, for all your follow-up work."
Messi's heartfelt message made his fans happy and took social media by storm.
#2 Messi took a picture with Andres Guardado's son
Following Barcelona's La Liga clash against Real Betis back in 2018, Leo Messi decided to meet with the son of Real Betis midfielder Andres Guardado.
Guardado's son is a huge fan of Messi and the Betis midfielder promised his son that he would do his best to help him meet the Argentine genius. He was in the Blaugrana dressing room with his son post-match when Messi came out to meet his young supporter.
The game ended 5-0 in favor of the Catalan giants, with Messi scoring two goals. The result meant nothing to the little boy who got to meet his idol and cameras perfectly showed the delight on the face of Guardado's son. After a warm exchange between the two, Messi clicked a picture with the boy.
#1 Helping a blind Arsenal fan
Apart from helping his own fans, Messi has also provided a helping hand to rival fans in support of his own cause. The PSG forward has gifted a blind Arsenal fan with a pair of glasses that can help improve the youngster's life. This amazing gesture is remarkable and has all possibilities of changing the life of the teenager.
OrCam is the brand Messi has partnered with to help visually impaired children across the globe. Mike, the 10-year old Arsenal fan, lives in London and was one of the teenage boys whose life got better when he heard that Messi had specially presented him with a pair of glasses.
