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Lionel Messi's touching gesture with a fan on Wednesday (August 23) was in sharp contrast to his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo's two days earlier. The latter had pushed away a fan in Al-Nassr's AFC Champions League playoff win over Shahab Al-Ahli.
The game was 1-1 at half-time after Al Nassr had opened the scoring. A fan approached Ronaldo for a selfie, but the Portuguese superstar didn't accede and pushed him away. Al-Alami would go on to win 4-2 to qualify for the group stage of the AFC Champions League.
Barely 48 hours later, Messi displayed contrasting behavior after his Inter Miami side beat Cincinnati on penalties to romp into the US Open Cup final. Miami triumphed 5-4 on penalties following a 3-3 draw after extra time.
As per The Express, Acosta exchanged jerseys with his compatriot as Messi gently patted the former's son, who plays youth football, as Acosta's daughter smilingly looked on.
The contrasting fan exchanges involving two of the game's biggest legends were noteworthy. It should also be noted that Ronaldo might have had a different reaction had the fan approached him after the game, as his team emerged victorious on the night and he was in a better frame of mind.
How Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fared for their respective clubs in midweek
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are widely regarded as two of the best players to have graced the beautiful game.
With a whopping 12 Ballon d'Or awards between them and over 800 goals for club and country, Ronaldo and Messi are still going strong in the twilight of their respective careers.
The 38-year-old has scored six times in eight games across competitions this season for Al-Nassr, winning the Arab Club Champions Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo didn't score in the midweek AFC Champions League game against Shahab but did produce the assist that led to Al-Alami's fourth of the night. They were trailing 2-1 till the 87th minute before winning 4-2, scoring twice in injury time.
Meanwhile, Messi, 36, has hit the ground running at Inter Miami after arriving on a free transfer this summer. He bagged 10 goals and an assist in seven games as the Herons won the Leagues Cup, their first title in their short five-year history.
In the midweek US Open Cup semifinal at Cincinnati, Messi was not among the scorers but played a key role in his side's win. The Argentine's two assists to Leandro Campana - the second in the seventh minute of injury time - made it 2-2 on the night as extra time ensued.
Lionel Messi then scored in the ensuing shootout as the Herons booked a final clash with Houston on September 27.
