Mum humbled by football superstar

A MUM has said she was “humbled” after her 11-yearold son played football with superstar Lionel Messi while on holiday in Antigua.

Anna O’Neill, from Canterbury, filmed her son Mackenzie playing with the Barcelona forward and three other children, including Messi’s son Thiago – who Mackenzie befriended during their stay at the private Caribbean resort.

“It was such a sweet experience,” Ms O’Neill said. “They’re just a very normal family. I know it’s terrible but I just thought, ‘oh here we go, another footballer’, but a million percent he’s just interested in his family and it was really humbling.”

Ms O’Neill, 41, said she had been looking after her 14-month-old toddler in her room when her son rushed back to tell her the footballer was on the beach. “I’m not a football fan at all, so when Mackenzie said, ‘oh my god, mum, Messi is on the beach’, I was just like, ‘ who?’,” she said.

After messaging her brother and searching Messi’s name on Google, Ms O’Neill headed to the beach to see the Argentinian with her son and the other children, where they had been playing for around half an hour.

She said it was apparent Messi did not speak English but she asked for a photo of him with Mackenzie and he said “yes, no problem”, before she “left them to it” playing football.

Mackenzie said a man he believed was the 32-year-old player’s father Jorge had asked him if he would like to play. He said they played a “full-on match” on the sand.

“He was a really nice guy,” Mackenzie said of Messi. “He looked happy to see me playing.”

Mackenzie spent more time with Messi and his family at the resort, often playing with English-speaking Thiago, 6, and travelling out with them to a pontoon on the sea.

Mackenzie added Messi is his favourite outfield player, but that he prefers goalkeepers as he plays in goal for Faversham Strike Force FC.

Lionel Messi with Mackenzie.