Argentina World Cup star Alexis Mac Allister has revealed how nervous he was when he met Lionel Messi for the first time, admitting his hands were shaking.
Long before Mac Allister recorded two goals in four appearances at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, he was a young Boca Juniors player nervously approaching his Argentine idol.
The current Brighton player now recalls his first meeting with Messi, which left him shaking and sweating,
“I was very nervous, my hands were shaking. I’m a really shy guy, so yeah, I was really nervous. But then you realize how humble he is. At that moment, I was playing for Boca Juniors, so we had arrived from Argentina to play. I think it was Spain for a friendly. And we got there, and he was having dinner,” Mac Allister told B/R Football.
“I went to the table and said hello with my shaking hands. I was sweating. But it was an amazing moment. He is my idol. He is the best footballer in the world,” added the Brighton midfielder.
Mac Allister has now returned to Brighton for the second half of the Premier League season, although he could attract transfer attention from a number of European clubs.
