Liel Abada has admitted to being in dreamland after landing Lionel Messi’s shirt.
The former Celtic star was caught on camera post-match from FC Charlotte and Inter Miami’s clash embracing the Argentina World Cup winning captain as they swapped shirts. It was a moment the attacker will never forget as he also took to social media to react to the unforgettable interaction after the sides played out a 1-1 draw with the former Barcelona superstar rescuing a point for the hosts.
He shared two images online with the first him shaking hands with the 37-year-old before a second image showing Abada standing posing with Messi’s shirt with his iconic No10 on the back. Taking to his Instagram profile he wrote: “Thank you GOAT. What a dream.” His former Celtic colleague Luis Palma was quick to react by sending him three star-struck and one fire emoji in the comments.
Abada is not the first player to play in Scotland’s top flight to land a Messi shirt after Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin bagged a prized piece of memorabilia following a World Cup last 16 clash between Argentina and Australia. Not only that, but it was the shirt from his 1000th game of his career and is worth a fortune.
Speaking about how he got his hands on the Messi shirt, Devlin previously told: “I went on [the pitch] and consoled all the boys first and then shook Messi’s hand. No-one had said anything so I just tried my luck and he said, ‘I’ll see you inside,’ and that’s what happened. I definitely wanted one of the other boys to have the opportunity first, but no-one took it, so I thought why not?
“I don’t know if it will be on his wall at home (Devlin’s jersey) or maybe still on the ground in that changing room but I’m not fussed — it’s more that I got his. I was surprised he even took mine. He definitely wouldn’t know who I am, but he’s a nice enough bloke and a humble enough bloke to still show that respect, and that’s obviously super nice, but I wasn’t too worried about what my jersey was doing at that stage.”
The Hearts ace then admitted the now priceless artefact is at home with his parents Down Under. He added: “’The jersey is going to be at my home and my dad has got it. I don’t think he’ll let me touch it any more.”