Lionel Messi Shares Warm Embrace with Hollywood Actor Will Smith During Inter Miami Game

• Lionel Messi starred for Inter Miami in their MLS opener
• Inter Miami beat Real Salt Lake 2-0 on Wednesday
• Messi shared a moment with Will Smith after the game

Hollywood actor Will Smith was left in awe after sharing a brief moment with Lionel Messi on Wednesday, February 21.

Messi put up a man-of-the-match performance in Inter Miami’s opening league game, helping his side secure a 2-0 victory.

At the half-time whistle, there was a delightful moment as Messi made his way towards the tunnel as he was stopped by the Fresh Prince himself.

The two briefly shared an embrace in front of tens of thousands of fans before exchanging a few words. Inter Miami were leading 1-0 at the time.

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Football

This was a classic show of how the 2022 World Cup winner’s influence transcended well beyond football, and A-list celebrities are also now taking an interest in the sport because of him.

Will Smith took to his Instagram after the game to share his true feelings about meeting an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

“This is crazy,” he wrote alongside photos of Messi and Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham.

His post went on, "Big congrats on the W @leomessi 🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷. ‘Preciate you @davidbeckham!"

The Oscar-winning actor and David Beckham are good friends, and their relationship dates back to 2007, when the former Manchester United man completed a transfer to LA Galaxy, according to TalkSport.

How the game went

After taking the lead in the first half through Robert Taylor, Inter Miami took full control of the game, and their dominance showed when Diego Gomez scored the second goal in the 83rd minute.

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Messi registered an assist for his team’s first goal and also had a hand in Gomez’s strike, which was assisted by Luis Suarez.

After missing the back end of last season through injury, Messi will hope to keep up his fitness levels for the majority of the new campaign.

Messi ‘disrespect’ Real Salt Lake player

In the same game, Messi went viral for what was termed as a ‘disrespectful’ skill on social media.

The Argentine showed his unbelievable dribbling skills by delicately chipping the ball over an opponent who was writhing in pain on the ground while Inter Miami was attacking.

As Sports Brief reported, Messi was however unlucky to see his resulting effort blocked by another defender.