PUERTO RICO — A shirtless fan ran onto the field and briefly made contact with soccer superstar Lionel Messi during an exhibition match between Inter Miami and Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, on Thursday.
The incident happened late in the game as the fan evaded security guards and reached Messi near midfield, appearing to hug him. A security guard then tackled the fan, knocking Messi to the ground in the process.
Messi quickly got back on his feet and appeared to be unharmed.
Several fans ran onto the pitch during the final minutes of the exhibition match, also known as a friendly.
Messi had been substituted on at halftime and converted a penalty kick as Inter Miami won 2-1.
The exhibition had been postponed from an earlier date because Messi was recovering from a leg injury. Inter Miami is scheduled to play again Sunday against Orlando City at Inter&Co Stadium.
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