Security Staff Almost Shoves Lionel Messi to Ground as Footballer Signs Pitch Invader's Back - Video

Lionel Messi had a memorable night on Tuesday, joining his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo in a select group of footballers who have registered 100 wins on the international stage. Moreover, with his brace against Jamaica, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner ensured Argentina's 3-0 triumph over Jamaica and extended their unbeaten streak to 35 games.

Security guards nearly brought down Argentina skipper Lionel Messi after the legendary footballer was approached by one of his supporters who invaded the field to seek his autograph on his back.

The incident happened immediately after Julian Alvarez's opening goal for Argentina in the first half when a fan entered the pitch and offered his back to Messi for his signature.

Although the 35-year-old megastar was taken aback by the fan's request, he obliged him and began scrawling his signature on the man's bare back.

But moments later, security personnel rushed towards him, and in their attempt to tackle the fan to the ground, they nearly barreled Messi over in the process.

The entire episode was caught on camera, with the video now going viral on social media. After being posted hours ago, the clip has raked in more than a million views on Twitter.

Messi almost gets tackled by security while signing a fans back 😭 pic.twitter.com/HEX8W8UB5T

— ym🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (@KieranCFC88) September 28, 2022

Several netizens slammed the security staff for nearly injuring Messi, especially at a time when the FIFA World Cup in Qatar is just around the corner.

"When the security poses a greater injury threat than the fan," a Twitter user wrote.

"Securities ditched Messi even more than that fan," another added sarcastically.