As Lionel Messi touched down in the
Middle East with the rest of the
Argentina squad ahead of Wednesday's
international friendly against Saudi
Arabia, even he could not have expected
the greeting he was about to receive.
The Barcelona forward's worldwide stardom
seemingly knows no bounds, judging by the
huge media scrum, and party of fans that
came to Riyadh Airport to catch a small
glimpse of the three-time Ballon d'Or
winner.
Armed guards were forced to protect Messi
as he made his way through the crowds of
onlookers, with one soldier in particular
accidentally placing his gun in a precarious
position, that would have left even the coolest
of customers a little hot under the collar.