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Soccer legend Lionel Messi was tackled to the ground during a friendly in Puerto Rico on Thursday.
It happened around the 88th minute of an exhibition tour match. Several fans jumped onto the pitch at Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium. Messi's team, Inter Miami, was playing Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle in Bayamón when a fan ran to the center circle and grabbed Messi by the waist before both were pulled down by a security guard.
Messi appeared to be unharmed. The Argentine star immediately got up and walked to another part of the pitch.
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A fan is chased by security guards after jumping onto the pitch to greet Lionel Messi during a friendly game between Independiente del Valle and Inter Miami on Feb. 26, 2026, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Leopoldo Smith/Getty Images)
Messi's security guard situation has been a subject of fan fascination for years, especially after he came to the U.S. to join Major League Soccer's Inter Miami.
His main bodyguard, Yassine Chueko, has gone viral in previous years for hovering alertly over Messi while the star was playing soccer. However, in 2025, Inter Miami changed Chueko's role to prevent him from being on the field to guard Messi from pitch invaders.
Chueko expressed concern and frustration over the decision, warning it could result in Messi getting tackled.
Lionel Messi's bodyguard took down overzealous fans. (Getty Images)
"They don't allow me to be on the field anymore," the bodyguard said in an interview with social media channel House of Highlights.
"I was in Europe for seven years, working for Ligue 1 and the Champions League, and only six people invaded the pitch. I came to the USA, and in just 20 months, 16 people have already done so. There's a huge problem here. I'm not the problem. Let me help Messi."
An Inter Miami team spokesperson previously told ESPN it was a club decision, not MLS', to not have Cheuko on the sidelines. However, Cheuko remains an employee of the club and part of the security detail, and escorts Messi daily.
Now, at the start of 2026, a pitch invader has successfully reached Messi on the field and brought the 38-year-old superstar to the ground, in Cheuko's absence.
Thursday's match was originally scheduled for Feb. 13, but was postponed because Messi felt discomfort in his leg during the previous exhibition match against Barcelona SC of Ecuador.
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A fan is detained by security guards after jumping onto the field to greet Lionel Messi, during a friendly game between Independiente del Valle and Inter Miami on Feb. 26, 2026, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Leopoldo Smith/Getty Images)
Santiago Morales and Messi scored in the 16th and 70th minutes respectively to give Inter Miami a 2-1 win.
Miami, which started its MLS season with a 3-0 loss to LAFC, faces Orlando City next Sunday.
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Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson's reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.
