Where was Lionel Messi’s famed bodyguard Yassine Cheuko when he needed him?
An overzealous young fan rushed the global soccer superstar during a youth event in South Florida before eventually being hauled away by security.
Messi and Inter Miami teammate Luis Suárez were attending the Inter Miami CF Academy’s Dreams Cup at the team’s training center in Fort Lauderdale over the weekend, sitting under a tent while watching the action.
Video posted by TMZ showed a young fan sprinting toward the tent — with security a step behind — getting right in front of Messi in an attempt to get the Argentine to sign merch for him.
Security then caught up and grabbed the fan, pulling him away.
However, a second fan wearing a yellow shirt with a 54 on the back also attempted to approach the soccer star but seemed to go somewhat unnoticed by comparison to the other fan wearing the No. 10 Messi jersey.
At one point, the fan in the jersey seemed to try to leave on his own, but security grabbed him again and escorted him off the field.
While the focus was on the one fan, the other person in the yellow shirt was shooed away, but in a less forceful manner.
It’s unclear if Messi signed anything for either fan during the interaction.
The interaction is far from an unusual one for Mess, who has had supporters charge at him in hopes of an autograph or picture many times during his storied career.
Cheuko claimed in April that he was no longer allowed on the field for MLS games after he stood guard for the first two seasons of Messi’s time in the league.
It’s unclear if he was at the youth event.
Messi and Suárez recently partnered to launch a soccer club in Suárez’s native Uruguay earlier this week.
Suárez announced that the team formerly known as Deportivo LS will from here on out be called LSM, playing in the country’s fourth division.
Local media reports suggested that Messi will be a partner in the new club.
