Watch Lionel Messi ask wife Antonela for car keys and swiftly leave supermarket after being recognised by fans in Miami

Posted Tuesday, July 18, 2023 by Thesun.co.uk

LIONEL MESSI may be forgiven for thinking he could get away with some shopping in the United States, but when you are football's most popular star, even shopping is far from routine.

And that is exactly what Messi realised after he was recognised by fans as he hit the shop in Miami.

Messi, 36, was pictured grocery shopping with wife Antonela Roccuzzo and his three sons, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.

However, as people began to recognise him - with the Argentine posing for a pic with one fan - Messi decided to make a swift getaway.

He can be seen asking Antonela for the car keys and then heading to the car park to get away from the cameras.

In reaction, one fan tweeted: "Loooool did he really not think he was gonna get noticed."

A second wrote: "Bro absolutely realised happy family time was over and now needed to bus it."

"He thought he'll have a normal life in Miami but he forgot he's Lionel Messi 😭," remarked a third.

While a fourth added: "Sadly this is probably the first and last time he'll be able to do anything normal in Florida."

The World Cup winner is the biggest signing in Major League Soccer history, and despite football not being the States No1 sport, Messi's fandom there is still massive.

Messi has been unveiled as a new Inter Miami player after turning down a return to Barcelona and a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia following his Paris Saint-Germain departure.

Miami co-owner David Beckham - himself one of the MLS' biggest signings ever - almost made a huge gaffe during Messi's presentation after nearly slipping on stage.

Messi will reportedly earn £43million a year - equating to £830,000 a week - on his new two-and-a-half year deal with Miami.

Furthermore, as part of his move to America, Messi's pockets will be supplemented with revenue-sharing agreements with major league partners such as adidas and Apple.

SunSport caught up with a number of fans at the famous Miami Beach after Messi announced he would be joining Inter Miami, with many feeling excited to see him join.

On the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, one fan said: "It's crazy, my parents are going insane."

A second declared: "He's a legend. He's like Michael Jordan, like Tiger Woods, a person that only comes around 50 or 60 years."

Meanwhile, another added: "I'm ecstatic."

Despite being over 4,600 miles from Barcelona, Messi will have some Catalan flair with him in Miami after the club also announced the signing of ex-Barca star Sergio Busquets.

The pair played together in Spain from 2008 until Messi's departure in 2021.

However, this did not stop the MLS account from making a huge error when announcing the midfielder's arrival, accidentally posting a photo of Alvaro Arbeloa instead of Busquets.