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British Kid, 11, Bumps Into Lionel Messi On Holiday And Has Kick-About

British Kid, 11, Bumps Into Lionel Messi On Holiday And Has Kick-About

But can he do it on a sunny afternoon in Antigua, Clive?

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

A 11-year-old boy from North London managed to have a kickabout on a beach in the Caribbean with one of the greatest footballers of all time, Lionel Messi.

Footage emerged at the end of last week showing the Barcelona and Argentina superstar knocking a ball around with his five-year-old son Thiago and a few other kids, one of whom turned out to be Mackenzie O'Neill.

Not bad, eh? Having a kickabout in Antigua with possibly the greatest player ever to kick a ball would be right up there on the bucket list of most adults, let alone an 11-year-old schoolboy.

What's more, they then enjoyed a lovely swim and played about on a boat for a while. Again, sounds like a decent day out.

Messi is reported to be staying in a £5,000 per night villa on the Caribbean island with his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo and their kids Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro.

When asked about his brush with greatness, the young lad told Argentinian sports daily Ole: "Messi was with his family on the beach. I was on my own and began to kick my ball a few feet from where they were.

"His dad Jorge threw a ball to me and asked if I wanted to play with them and then we played football with Thiago and Messi for 45 minutes."

Messi is more used to playing at the Nou Camp.
PA

"'Thiago is a fantastic player for his age and wasn't shy about playing. Playing with Messi was incredible."

"Messi's wife translated because she speaks English very well. Later on I ended up swimming with Messi and we went out on a little boat and spent a lot of time in the water.

"He lifted me up on his shoulders and Thiago followed me wherever I went."

So, did the five-time Ballon D'Or winner impart any wisdom to him?

Messi is taking some time off after leading Argentina at the Copa America.
PA

Mackenzie continued: "No, because he doesn't speak English, but seeing how skilful he was was enough advice for me.

"Playing with Leo in the water was great fun. He acted like a normal dad. I also realised that Messi really enjoyed seeing his son play with other children.

"I think if Thiago was still at the resort, we would have played together every day. If I see him next year, I'll play with him again. I holiday at the same beach every year with my family.

"The last night Messi and his family were here I was playing with Thiago and gave him my football to keep.

"But he ran after me along the beach and insisted I keep it. Afterwards Messi and his wife said goodbye to me with huge smiles. I am not going to forget them."

Featured Image Credit: Instagram

Topics: UK News