Lille Olympique Sporting Club midfielder Angel Gomes recently revealed all about the βsurrealβ moment when Lionel Messi asked for his shirt after a game.
Gomes - full name Adilson Angel Abreu de Almeida Gomes - joined the Manchester United academy at the age of six and made 5 Premier League appearances for the Red Devilsβ first team.
After 14 years at the club, he departed from Old Trafford in 2020 and joined Ligue 1 side Lille where he eventually crossed paths with Paris Saint-Germain star, Messi.
The meeting of the two players took place in the State Pierre-Mauroy tunnel in February 2022, just after Lille were battered 5-1 by PSG on home soil.
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Naturally, Gomes made a beeline for Messi to see whether he could get the Argentinianβs shirt as momentum β but he wasnβt expecting the legend to want something in return.
βIt was just like a fanboy moment, like, I canβt lie. [Messi] gave me his shirt, he took his t-shirt off and he gave it to me,β Gomes revealed in an interview with Football Focus.
βAnd for me, I was like, βAlright, happy daysβ like, cheers, and he was like, βWait, are you not giving me your shirt?β
Gomes was left in disbelief at Messiβs request and questioned: βAnd I was like, βWhat? You want my shirt?β And he was like βYeah!β So I was like, βAlright.β
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βFrom watching him on TV, watching videos of him actually playing,β Gomes added. βTo playing against him and getting his shirt, like, It was surreal for me.β
Interestingly, Messi is usually not one to set up a shirt swapping as he apparently isnβt into the business of asking other players for theirs.
Messi has previously stated: βI donβt ask for shirts, I usually swap them, but I asked [Zinedine] Zidane once. If there is an Argentine I swap it with him, but, unless someone asks me, Iβm not asking anyone.β
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Gomes is making a name for himself in Ligue 1 this season β with 33 league appearances and eight-goal assists under his belt.
Despite signing a five-year contract with the French side in 2020, he was immediately loaned out to Boavista for their full 2020/21 Primeira Liga campaign.
During his time with the Portuguese team, he registered six goals and six assists in 32 games.
Gomes rejoined Lille for the 2021/22 season while also playing for the England under-21 squad, where he racked up a total of 13 appearances for the latter.
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Lille currently sits fifth in the league table, 19 points below Christophe Galtierβs title-chasing PSG side.
Featured Image Credit: BBC/PSGTopics:Β Angel Gomes, Lionel Messi, Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Lille