Lionel Messi knows just how to leave a lasting impression on people. The Argentine football superstar is perhaps the most talented soccer star of his generation, and some people just naturally love him for how he plays his game. Whether it’s a teammate or an opposition player, Messi is never short of fans.
In one eventful encounter, Marcus Thuram’s path crossed with Lionel Messi’s when he was still very young. Recalling that encounter, the new Inter forward admits he regrets that one major mistake he made involving the World Cup winner with Argentina.
Marcus Thuram reveals his Messi mistake
Not everyone gets to be gifted a pair of boots by Lionel Messi himself, but Marcus Thuram had his lucky charm on as a 10-year-old when the little magician gifted him a pair of boots. Thuram’s father, Lilian, was a Barcelona player at the time, and Marcus spent the afternoon at the Barcelona training ground, where he saw Messi up close and personal.
“At the age of 10, I went to see my father training at Barca, and I didn’t have my boots with me. Messi was young, and after training, I wanted to go on the pitch with the other kids to play,” Marcus Thuram recalled.
“Leo was almost the same size as me. I wore 38 and he 40-41. He left me his shoes, I played, then he said ‘keep them’. At 10 years old, I didn’t realize what had just happened, and the next day, I gave them to a friend. I regret it every day,” the Inter Milan forward admitted.
Lionel Messi won his first Ballon d’Or two years later in 2009, something that would have made Thuram’s regret even worse. Messi has since won the award seven more times, recently in 2023, after a record-breaking performance for Argentina at the last World Cup, which saw him lift the trophy in the final against Marcus Thuram’s France.
Lionel Messi’s golden gifts to teammates
While Thuram lives with the regret of not making the most of the gift he got from Lionel Messi when he was 10 years old, the Argentine’s international teammates are enjoying the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s grace. In an emotional gesture, Messi gifted his teammates with a gold version of the iPhone 14 Pro as his way of appreciating them for their efforts in helping their country win the World Cup in 2022.
Messi delivered these gifts to his teammates in March, shortly after he won the Best FIFA Men’s Player award. “He said he wanted a special gift for all the players and staff to celebrate the amazing win but didn’t want the usual gift of watches, so I suggested gold iPhones inscribed with their names, and he loved the idea,” Ben, the CEO of iDesign Gold, explained.
Each phone gifted to his teammates is personalized with the names and numbers of each member of the Argentina squad, including staff. The phone also features the emblem of the Argentina national team with an accompanying text of “World Cup Champions 2022.” Messi and his teammates suffered their first defeat since the World Cup against Uruguay in South America’s World Cup qualifiers.
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