Lionel Messi plays football with British youngster on beach

Eleven-year-old Mackenzie O'Neill from Canterbury played for 45 minutes with football superstar Lionel Messi and his son Thiago on a beach in Antigua.

After meeting the Barcelona legend, the boy told Argentinian sports daily Ole: "Messi was with his family on the beach. I was on my own and began to kick my ball a few feet from where they were.

"His dad Jorge threw a ball to me and asked if I wanted to play with them and then we played football with Thiago and Messi for 45 minutes.

"Thiago is a fantastic player for his age and wasn't shy about playing. Playing with Messi was incredible.

"Messi's wife translated because she speaks English very well. Later on I ended up swimming with Messi and we went out on a little boat and spent a lot of time in the water. He lifted me up on his shoulders and Thiago followed me wherever I went."

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