Lionel Messi knocked down as fan invades pitch during Inter Miami’s friendly, video goes viral – WATCH

New Delhi: Lionel Messi was shockingly knocked down on the ground, entangled in a tussle between a fan intruder and a security official during Inter Miami’s friendly match against Independiente del Valle in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, on Thursday. The fan stormed onto the pitch during the game and tried to hug Messi.

The incident happened during the 88th minute of the exhibition match, which was played at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon. Messi was standing next to a teammate and chatting when a fan came and grabbed his waist from behind, trying to hug the Inter Miami superstar.

Messi was pulled down to the ground as a security official tried to separate the fan from him. The Argentine football icon appeared unharmed after the incident and walked to another part of the pitch as the fan was escorted out by the security guard. A clip of the incident went viral on social media.

Watch Lionel Messi taken down by a fan and security official:

A fan invaded the field during a friendly between Independiente del Valle (Ecuador) and Inter Miami in Puerto Rico, pushing Argentine striker Lionel Messi, the sports newspaper Marca reported.

The incident occurred at the end of the second half. The fan ran towards… pic.twitter.com/ZOswulvNGD

— @REDSOCIALTV (@REDSOCIALTV1) February 28, 2026

Messi scored as Inter Miami defeated Independiente del Valle 2-1 in the friendly match. Santiago Morales opened the scoring for Inter Miami in the 16th minute to give them an early lead before Messi scored the winner in the 70th minute to help his side win the exhibition game.

The friendly match was originally scheduled to be played on February 13, however, it was postponed due to Messi not being fully fit to take the field at the time. The Argentine maestro experienced some discomfort in his leg during Inter Miami’s friendly match against Ecuador’s Barcelona earlier this month, leading to the postponement of the friendly against Independiente del Valle.

I regret not learning English: Messi

Messi, who is regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, recently revealed he regrets not learning English growing up. Messi, who mostly speaks in his native language, said he had the time to learn English but didn’t do it. The superstar footballer’s lack of English has often created problems for him while talking to some incredible personalities he has met throughout his life.

“I regret many things. Not having learned English as a boy. I had the time to have at least studied English, and I did not do it. I deeply regret it,” Messi said on a Mexican podcast.

“I experienced situations where I was with incredible and spectacular personalities to be able to talk and have a chat, and you feel half ignorant. I always thought: ‘What an idiot, how I wasted my time,’” he added.