Lionel Messi's Stunned Reaction Goes Viral After Realising Opponent Is Former Barcelona Teammate's Son - Watch

Lionel Messi was left visibly stunned after Argentina's final friendly game before the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Iceland on Tuesday (June 9) after realizing that an opponent player is the son of his former teammate. The world champions won the fixture at the Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, which is situated in the Alabama region of the United States of America (USA), 3-0 with goals from Valentin Barco, Messi, and Barco. After the game ended, Messi was approached by Iceland forward Daniel Gudjohnsen (20). As the duo had a conversation, people were quick to notice that Messi was astonished.

It later emerged Daniel told him he was ex-Barcelona player Eiður Guðjohnsen. Eiður played for Barcelona from 2006 to 2009 in what were Messi's initial seasons as a professional footballer. in the Icelandic footballer's final season at the club, the Catalans won the treble (La Liga, Copa Del Rey, and UEFA Champions League) under Pep Guardiola, with Messi being the most important player. After the fixture, Messi spoke about his interaction with Daniel and admitted he was surprised.

However, he recalled meeting him once during a training session at Barcelona. “He said to me, ‘Do you remember who I am?’ I was surprised at the time. I honestly didn’t remember he was very young. Then he told me he was Gudjohnsen's son. To be honest, I don't remember him because he was such a little kid.

I only remember meeting him once, when he was with his father at one of the training sessions," said Messi to reporters as Per Talk Sport. 'Hi You Played My Dad' is how the Iceland player introduced himself to Messi. Messi and Daniel had a long interaction, which ended with the players shaking hands and sharing a warm embrace. watch here As far as the Gudjohnsen's are concerned, they are a footballing family. Daniel's elder brothers Sveinn (28) and Andri (24).

His father, Eiður is widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his time and, before joining Barcelona, also spent six years at Chelsea (2000-2006), in which he won two Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho. He played 88 times for Iceland and is their joint-second goalscorer of all time with 26 goals. Eiður father and Daniel's grandfather Arnor was also a footballer, who played 73 times for the national team.