More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Home Canterbury News Article
A football mad schoolboy had a dream come true when he joined in a game with one of the greatest players of all time.
Mackenzie O'Neill, 11, was on holiday with his mum Anna in Antigua and playing on his own when he was spotted by Lionel Messi's father Jorge.
He invited him to join the Barcelona superstar and his family for a friendly match on the beach.
Hear from Mackenzie and his mum about meeting Messi below
Mackenzie, who lives near Canterbury, and will play in goal for Faversham Strike Force under 12s next season, said he was gobsmacked to see the star of world soccer on the beach.
"Of course, I recognised him because I am a big football fan and then his dad dad, Jorge threw a ball to me and asked if I wanted to play.
"We played football together with his son Thiago and a group of their friends for about 45 minutes."
Mackenzie, who attends Junior Kings School in Canterbury said he could barely believe his luck, and seeing Messi's skills close up was "incredible".
But he did manage to stop a shot from the Argentinian maestro
"We were playing rush goalies and at one point I almost nutmegged him and even managed to save one of his shots, although most of the time he was passing to others and his son Thiago to shoot.
"He's a great player for a six-year-old and has the ability of someone at least two years older."
But his mum Anna, who has three other children and works in property development in Canterbury, admitted she did not know what all the fuss was about when her son rushed in to tell her Messi was on the beach.
"I follow Mackenzie's football but not the game generally and I have to confess that I'd never heard of him."
But after Googling his name, she rushed to the beach to film a clip of them playing on her phone and the superstar was happy to pose for a photograph with her son.
And Mackenzie later posted a picture of himself with the footballer on his Instagram page, saying "today a dream came true."
The schoolboy added: "Later I ended up swimming with Messi. We went on a little boat and spent a lot of time in the water.
"He was just like normal dad, who enjoyed seeing his son play with other kids. He even lifted me on his shoulders and Thiago followed me wherever I went."
"He doesn’t speak English much but his wife did and was a good translator.
Mackenzie continued: "The last night Messi and his family were here I was playing with Thiago and gave him my football to keep.
"But he ran after me along the beach and insisted I keep it.
"Afterwards Messi and his wife said goodbye to me with huge smiles. I am not going to forget them."
The once-in-a-lifetime experience happened at the weekend and the family returned to their home from holiday on Monday.
Since the story broke Mackenzie's friends have excitedly messaging him about what happened.
And Faversham Strike Force manager Gary Axford says he is bound to be the centre of attention when the teams start training for the new season next month.
"It's an incredible story as it would surely be every football mad schoolboy's dream to play alongside Messi. He's bound to be the envy of his team mates."
After the publicity, FIFA even congratulated Messi, tweeting a photo of him with Mackenzie, saying "When you get invited for a beach kick about with one of the greatest players of all time... great gesture by Lionel Messi."
Messi is believed to have been staying at £5,000-a-night stay at Jumby Bay after Argentina’s failure to reach the Copa America final this month.
