Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi has sent a heart-warming thank you note to a 100-year-old fan, who had been making note of his goals scored for both his club and the country.
The fan, Don Hernan, has been following the 34-year-old football icon since the day he made his first appearance at Barcelona as a 13-year-old in 2000.
The 100-year-old likes to keep track of Messi's career with the help of a pen and paper.
Ever since Hernan watched Messi play for the first time, he has been making notes of all the goals Messi has scored on paper, including writing the name of the opponent, the date of the game and the total number of goals scored by him in each of his matches.
After Hernan's grandson, Julian Mastrangelo revealed his grandfather's love for Messi on the short-video platform TikTok and made an emotional appeal to Messi, the Argentina skipper responded with a thank you message, while acknowledging the dedication of his super fan in chronicling his career.
"Hello Hernan," Messi said in a video message to the 100-year-old. "I've listened to your story. It's crazy, I don’t have my goals written down like you have done it."
"I want to send you a big hug and I want to thank you for keeping track of that. I wish you the best. Bye!"
It has been a week to remember for Messi after he ended his long wait for an international trophy, leading Argentina to the Copa America title against Brazil last Saturday.
On Wednesday, global media reported that he has agreed to sign a new deal with Barcelona, which would see him play for Barca till 2026.