Watch Lionel Messi awkwardly push off pitch invading fan in huge security breach after Argentina’s draw with Ecuador
LIONEL MESSI had to awkwardly push off a pitch invader after Argentina’s draw with Ecuador.
Soon to be Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez thought he had scored the winner in the World Cup qualifier.
But former West Ham man Enner Valencia scored a late added time equaliser to confirm Ecuador’s place at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
And at full-time, a pitch invader tried to take a video with seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, who didn’t look comfortable with the attention.
The fan told Messi: “Leo, Leo. A photo, I come from the United States.”
Security then managed to wrestle the fan away, who caught the interaction on camera.
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Despite the draw, Messi made Ecuador right-back Byron Castillo’s night.
Messi swapped shirts with the Barcelona SC player.
Castillo was congratulated by his team-mates for managing to get one of the greatest players of all time’s shirt.
He beamed as he checked out the front and back of Messi’s No10 Argentina shirt.
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Messi will be at this winter’s World Cup, but it may be his last chance to win the competition having previously lost a final in 2014 to Germany.
The Paris Saint-Germain ace, who is enduring a tough club campaign, says he will have to “rethink a lot of things” after this year’s World Cup.
He said: “I can only think about what’s coming next, I only think about facing Ecuador.
“After the World Cup, I will have to rethink many things.”