Football fan 'travels 1200 miles' to see Messi but finds he isn't even there

26 June 2023 , 21:59

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One unfortunate Lionel Messi fan arrived several weeks too early to catch a glimpse of the iconic forward in action for Inter Miami (Image: Twitter/ Philadephia Union)

One unfortunate football supporter travelled some '1200 miles' to catch a glimpse of superstar Lionel Messi in action, only to find that he hasn't yet arrived at Inter Miami.

With 'Messi Mania' currently in full swing the US and further afield, it comes as no surprise that fans are going to extraordinary lengths to try and see him take to the field for his new MLS employers. One spectator seemed jumped the gun somewhat, jetting out to Philadelphia from Florida in the hopes of seeing his team's latest acquisition.

Having arrived to see the Herons take on the Philadephia Union at Subaru Park, the sobering realisation that Messi would not be present soon kicked in for the hapless fan. Arriving with a custom made placard in anticipation of watching the former Barcelona hero in action, the disappointment was written all over his face.

Caught on camera, the supporter noticed himself on the big screen, before dropping the banner he had made for the Argentinian forward — which read 'I travelled 1200 miles to see the football GOAT [Greatest of All Time]' — as he struggled to hide his woes.

Unsurprisingly, the clip has attracted intrigue and amusement on social media, with a host of Twitter users commenting on the video which was originally posted by Philadelphia Union. One user was left baffled at the supporter's faux pas, saying: "So before travelling and buying a ticket he didn’t even check if [Lionel] Messi was available? Because it was known that he wasn’t gonna play that early, he’s still on holiday."

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A fellow user commented that he felt sympathy for the young man, while also expressing his perplexment at the fan's lack of research, saying: "I wish I could feel bad for him but even the tiniest bit of research would’ve told him [Lionel] Messi wasn’t playing this game."

Inter Miami is yet to officially unveil their new signing, with minor details yet to be ironed out ahead of the expected switch, and so another user added: "I mean, the club hasn’t even officially announced him."

The Lionel Messi fan could not hide his disappointment as it became clear that the iconic forward would not be appearing (Twitter/ Philadelphia Union)

Of course, the youngster was not the only person to have been swept along with the fanfare surrounding the World Cup winner's impending arrival stateside. Incredibly, tickets for all away games sold out within hours of the announcement of the deal and seats have been listed for as much as $20,000 (£16,000) on re-sale.

Expecting a rock star-like reception for the legendary forward throughout the US, venues at stadiums such as Atlanta United's Mercedes Stadium have also been extended to full capacity. On top of this, Inter Miami are also looking to ramp up their own security, as demand to see the superstar shows no signs of dying down.

However, the Argentine is not due to officially sign for Inter Miami until the beginning of next month and is technically still a Paris Saint-Germain player until his contract expires at the end of June. Furthermore, it is expected that the iconic winger will not play for his new club until July 21 in the Leagues Cup against Cruz Azul.

Tom Beattie