LIONEL MESSI asked for Angel Gomes’ shirt at the end of a match last season, the former Manchester United starlet has revealed.
Gomes, 22, quit Old Trafford for Lille in 2020 despite having been offered a new deal at United.
Angel Gomes swapped shirts with Lionel Messi last season
A successful loan spell at Boavista followed, before he became a regular in Lille’s side in Ligue 1.
He first crossed paths with Messi during a match vs Paris Saint-Germain last season.
After his side’s 5-1 home defeat, Gomes waited for the Argentine in the tunnel in order to try to get his shirt.
Messi courteously obliged – but left the England youth international stunned when he asked for his in return.
Speaking to Football Focus, Gomes said: “It was just like a fanboy moment, like, I can’t lie. [Messi] gave me his shirt, he took his t-shirt off and he gave it to me.
“And for me, I was like, ‘Alright, happy days’ like, cheers, and he was like, ‘Wait, are you not giving me your shirt?’
“And I was like, ‘What? You want my shirt?’ And he was like ‘Yeah!’ So I was like, ‘Alright.’
“From watching him on TV, watching videos of him actually playing, to playing against him and getting his shirt, like, It was surreal for me.”
Gomes made ten first team appearances for Man UnitedCredit: PA
Gomes made ten first team appearances for Manchester United before quitting for France.
He has emerged as a key man in midfield for Lille, starting in all but two of their Ligue 1 matches this term.
The diminutive ace has 11 England Under-21s caps, and could soon target a senior call-up.
Messi, meanwhile, has previously admitted that he seldom asks for other players’ shirts.
He said: “I don’t ask for shirts, I usually swap them, but I asked [Zinedine] Zidane once.
“If there is an Argentine I swap it with him, but, unless someone asks me, I’m not asking anyone.”
Gomes, 22, is now a key man for Lille in Ligue 1Credit: Getty
