Lionel Messi collapsed on the pitch during a friendly match in Puerto Rico on Thursday night after being tackled by a shirtless pitch invader.
As Inter Miami CF wrapped up a friendly against Independiente del Valle, a man ran onto the pitch and addressed Messi directly. Dressed only in black shorts and black shoes, he approached the 38-year-old and grabbed hold of him.
Although he seemed to only intend to hug him, the immediate intervention of security to remove him caused Messi to lose his balance and end up on the ground. The Argentine footballer got up immediately and showed no signs of injury, although he seemed clearly irritated by the incident.
This was not the only case during the match: several other fans entered the field to approach the Argentine star, where one of them even managed to take a selfie with him before security intervened, writes NY Post.
The situation was brought under control and Inter Miami won the match 2-1. Messi's goal in the second half proved decisive.
The match was originally scheduled for February 13 as part of pre-season, but was postponed after Messi suffered a thigh injury.
Inter Miami will return to the Major League Soccer regular season this Sunday in Florida, facing Orlando City SC, after losing 3-0 to Los Angeles FC in the championship opener.
