"I said I wouldn’t wash my hands anymore" - Argentina youngster admits he behaved like a starry-eyed fan when he met Lionel Messi

Juventus and Argentina youngster Matias Soule has admitted to being star-struck upon meeting Lionel Messi.

The 20-year-old confessed that he joked about not washing his hands after shaking hands with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, whom he described as a good guy.

It goes without mentioning that Soule's incredible performances in the Serie A have propelled him to the level of getting called up to represent his country. The attacker, who is currently on loan at Frosinone from Juventus, has received multiple call-ups from the Argentina senior team over the last couple of months, affording him the privilege of running shoulders with Messi.

Speaking during a recent interview with ESPN, the attacker opened up on how he felt getting to meet the Inter Miami superstar in the national team.

“I arrived later and when I entered the rooms he came out just to say hello. I said I wouldn’t wash my hand anymore.. I didn’t talk much, but you can see that he’s a good guy,” he told ESPN (via Goal).

Having been at Juventus since 2020, Matias Soule also had the privilege to meet Cristiano Ronaldo at the club before the Portuguese icon's return to Manchester United in 2021.

Speaking of his meeting with the now Al Nassr superstar, the 20-year-old said:

“I was surprised by how good a person he was. I didn’t know him, but I heard what was said about him. He is a genius. I remember that one day we went to eat and he sat next to me, I hadn’t spoken to him at all. They all left and he continued telling me things, about the cars he had, what Madrid was like…”

That said, Soule has been a big revelation in the Serie A this season. The winger, who is currently on loan at Frosinone, has bagged 10 goals and two assists in 29 games in the Italian top flight so far.

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What's next for Matias Soule and Lionel Messi?

Lionel Messi made his highly anticipated return from injury at the weekend as Inter Miami clashed with Colorado in an MLS encounter at the DRV PNK Stadium on Sunday. The Argentine made his impact felt by coming off the bench to score one and have his hand in another as both sides settled for a 2-2 draw.

Up next, the 36-year-old will be in action when the Miamians go head-to-head with Monterrey in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final clash at the Estadio BBVA this week on Thursday. All eyes will be on Lionel Messi to help turn the tie around after his side lost 2-1 in his absence in the first leg.

Matias Soule, meanwhile, will be back on the pitch on Saturday, April 14, when Frosinone are scheduled to square it off with Napoli in a Serie A face-off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. It remains to be seen how both players will fare in those games.