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Lionel Messi's rise to superstardom over the last couple of years is worth applauding. The Argentine broke through the ranks at Barcelona in the mid-2000s, and has gone on to establish himself as one of the greatest players in football history.
The attacker has had a very successful career, claiming six Ballon d'Or awards, six European Golden Shoes, four Champions League crowns and one Copa America trophy, to mention a few. But behind the trophies and accolades, stands a man with a great heart and amazingly warm personality.
Lionel Messi's incredible personality has been on display on several occasions, both on and off the pitch. The Argentine has proven to be a great person, making some heartwarming gestures over the last few years. Below are five of his most notable ones.
#5 Lionel Messi took a picture with Andres Guardado's son
Ahead of a La Liga clash between Barcelona and Real Betis in January 2018, Betis midfielder Andres Guardado promised his son that he would take him to meet Lionel Messi. The game ended 5-0 in favour of the Blaugrana, with the Argentine bagging a brace.
Despite the heavy defeat, Guardado didn't hesitate to take his son to the Barcelona dressing room after the game, with TV cameras closely following him. After a brief wait, Lionel Messi stepped outside to meet the young admirer.
There was inexplicable joy in the face of Guardado's son on seeing his idol face-to-face. After some warm words, Messi carried him, and they both posed for a photo that later went viral on social media.
#4 Lionel Messi helped Fabian Vargas to raise funds for Colombian flood victims
Ahead of a La Liga clash between Barcelona and Almeria in 2010, Colombian native Fabian Vargas asked Lionel Messi for his shirt. He planned to auction it to raise funds for victims of a terrible flood in his country. The Argentine readily obliged, and the game kicked off.
Barcelona came out on top with a massive victory, beating the opposition by eight goals to nil. Vargas was left so disappointed with the result that he forgot to collect Lionel Messi's shirt.
However, the Colombian was massively surprised when Messi approached him at the end of the game with a bag in his hand. When Vargas collected the bag and opened it in his dressing room, he found Messi's jersey, with other Barcelona stars, including Dani Alves, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol.
#3 Lionel Messi pleasantly surprised a journalist during the 2018 FIFA World Cup
After Argentina's 2-1 triumph over Nigeria in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Lionel Messi surprised a journalist with a heartwarming gesture.
The journalist, Rama Pantorotto of Telefenoticias, had given Messi a lucky string ahead of the game, but thought the attacker would've thrown it away. He asked Messi about it after the final whistle, and was more than impressed with what he saw.
"In the first match I gave you the good luck charm that my mother gave me, I'm not sure if you kept it or threw it away," Rama Pantorotto asked Lionel Messi.
"Look," the Argentina captain responded as he dug into his sock to reveal a red string tied around his ankle.
Pantorotto was surprised, all he could say was "I'm sorry?"
"For real," Messi replied.
"For real? You put it on your leg?"
"I wanted to say 'thank you'," Messi said before walking away.
#2 Lionel Messi swapped his shirt with Elche goalkeeper
As he is one of the greatest superstars in football history, Lionel Messi always gets requests from players asking for his shirt. Elche goalkeeper Edgar Badia did the same when his side clashed with Barcelona in the La Liga in February this year.
Messi had a decent performance, bagging a brace in the game. After the final whistle, Badia approached Lionel Messi to get his jersey, which the player was all too happy to part with. To the surprise of the Elche goalkeeper, the Argentine asked for Badia's shirt in return. The gesture caught the eye of fans, with many praising Messi for his humility.
#1 Lionel Messi donated funds to Barcelona hospital to tackle COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked widespread havoc last year. During the peak of the pandemic, Lionel Messi made a heartwarming gesture that earned him praise from many.
The Argentine donated €1 million to a hospital in Barcelona to fight the deadly virus. The fund was provided to support research to combat the disease as well as take care of infected people.
That wasn't the only donation Lionel Messi made during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also made several contributions in his native Argentina, including €500,000 to a Buenos Aires-based foundation, Casa Garrahan, for the purchase og respirators, infusion pumps and computers.
