Who Is Yassine Cheuko? Lionel Messi’s Bodyguard at Inter Miami Hired by Beckham

• Lionel Messi is enjoying a brilliant start to life at Inter Miami in the USA
• He has helped the club to their first-ever trophy with the Leagues Cup
• Fans have noticed an ever-present figure watching over the Argentine

Lionel Messi has stamped his influence on Inter Miami since joining the club after running down his Paris Saint-Germain contract, with his footballing presence as crucial as his security on and off the pitch.

The veteran turned down lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia, which could have been a world-record salary for a sportsman, as well as a return to the club at which he spent 21 years - Barcelona.

Messi's presence is pulling numbers for Inter Miami on and off the pitch with high demands for merchandise sales, stadiums being sold out in minutes, and helping the Herons from bottom places to cup winners.

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According to CBS Sports, co-owner Jorge Mas promised that security would be enhanced ahead of Messi's arrival at the club and has done just that, having appointed a personal bodyguard to shield the World Cup winner.

Fans have spotted an unidentified, ever-present man around the Argentine superstar. He is near Messi everywhere from stadiums to the team bus to the tunnel and even the dressing room.

Who is Messi's bodyguard at Inter Miami?

Marca has identified him as Yassine Cheuko, a former US Navy Seal who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was hired by co-owner, David Beckham, to oversee Messi's safety.

The bodyguard also has a background in MMA with a proficiency in taekwondo and boxing, making him the ideal protector for football's most important personality on American soil.

La Nacion added that Cheuko also leads a team of 50 people overseeing the safety of the Argentine veteran's family during their day-to-day activities in Miami.

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He shares his training pictures on Instagram and is followed by Messi. He was at Camp Nou in 2021, a few months before the Argentine departed and took a picture with retired UFC fighter, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Messi receives 'bodyguard' in Miami

Sports Brief also reported on Messi welcoming another bodyguard to Miami when Argentina midfielder, Rodrigo De Paul, visited his national teammate and Beckham, to Inter Miami recently.

The Atletico Madrid star was nicknamed Messi's bodyguard for their closeness on and off the pitch and for the reverence with which he speaks about the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.