Lionel Messi tackled to the ground during game after his famed bodyguard was not allowed on sidelines

Jimmy Conrad, Melissa Ortiz, Wes Morgan, and Juan Pablo Ángel discussed if there is a way for Copa América teams to slow down or stop Argentina's Lionel Messi as he looks to win his third international trophy in a row.

Soccer legend Lionel Messi was tackled to the ground during a friendly in Puerto Rico on Thursday.

It happened around the 88th minute of an exhibition tour match. Several fans jumped onto the pitch at Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium. Messi's team, Inter Miami, was playing Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle in Bayamón when a fan ran to the center circle and grabbed Messi by the waist before both were pulled down by a security guard.

Messi appeared to be unharmed. The Argentine star immediately got up and walked to another part of the pitch.

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A fan is chased by security guards after jumping onto the pitch to greet Lionel Messi during a friendly game between Independiente del Valle and Inter Miami on Feb. 26, 2026, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  (Leopoldo Smith/Getty Images)

Messi's security guard situation has been a subject of fan fascination for years, especially after he came to the U.S. to join Major League Soccer's Inter Miami. 

His main bodyguard, Yassine Chueko, has gone viral in previous years for hovering alertly over Messi while the star was playing soccer. However, in 2025, Inter Miami changed Chueko's role to prevent him from being on the field to guard Messi from pitch invaders. 

Chueko expressed concern and frustration over the decision, warning it could result in Messi getting tackled.

Lionel Messi's bodyguard took down overzealous fans. (Getty Images)

"They don't allow me to be on the field anymore," the bodyguard said in an interview with social