USA airport officials make no exemptions when it comes to security, even when it includes the legendary Lionel Messi .
The 2026 FIFA World Cup being held primarily in the USA means that all the athletes, officials, and fans have to abide by the strict airport rules the country has in place for travellers.
Exceptions are rare, and they're clearly rare enough that Messi's reaction to a thorough search by airport officials went viral.
A couple of American fans seemed to have caught sight of the Argentinian national team at the Miami International Airport before the team's Round of 32 World Cup clash against Cape Verde .
The fans shared a video of Messi and the entire team being thoroughly searched as the 39-year-old all-time leading goalscorer politely abides by the instructions while laughing with his teammates at the situation.
The reposted video is going viral on X with almost five million views already, not counting other fans who have shared the video as their own original posts.
The USA is known to take very strict precautions at airports, so the players have likely been subjected to multiple airport searches over their careers and in this tournament.
Over the last five World Cups, it's fair to say Messi and Argentina are among the cumulative best performers alongside France . With France already booking their berth in the Round of 16 in emphatic fashion, it's Argentina's turn to do the same.
Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images
Cape Verde has had a wonderful run to the Round of 32, but Argentina's famed offense will hope to break it down successfully despite countries like Spain failing to do so.
The World Cup Golden Boot race is also red-hot, with Messi tied at six goals with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe , but with a game in hand.
There is no more room for error, and Messi's Argentina knows what they need to do to repeat their 2022 heroics and become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup.
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