Lionel Messi was told to ‘let the kids win’ after apparently going too hard on his children in a family kickabout.
Paris Saint-Germain star Messi was videoed in a game in his garden with three sons Thiago, 9, Mateo, 6, and Ciro, 4.
But he dominated his kids, scoring past them easily and preventing them scoring a goal in return.
That led his wife Antonela Roccuzzo to post on social media, jokingly imploring the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner to go easy on them and give them a chance against him.
The video, posted on Antonela’s Instagram story for her 18.9million followers, had the caption ‘@leomessi deja ganar a los nenes’, meaning ‘let the kids win’.
Lionel Messi (right) was told by wife Antonela Roccuzzo (left) to go easy on kids Thiago, 9, Mateo, 6, and Ciro, 4 (bottom right-left) after dominating them in a garden family kickabout
The video shows the 160-cap international tapping in a loose ball to score, with his son then jokingly bumping into him.
With his dad’s back turned, Messi’s son then flicks the ball up and volleys it towards goal – but the 34-year-old had made his way back to his own net.
Messi, 34, then volleys it first-time – but is denied by a brilliant save from son Thiago, acting as goalkeeper.
The gifted Argentine scored his eighth goal of the season as PSG beat Lorient 5-1 on Sunday
It was the first time Messi, Neymar (centre) and Kylian Mbappe (right) scored in the same game
The gifted Argentine scored his eighth goal of the season but just his third in the league as PSG thrashed Lorient 5-1 on Sunday.
His fellow forwards Kylian Mbappe and Neymar both scored a brace, marking it as the first time the stellar front three all netted in the same match.
The result leaves Mauricio Pochettino’s side 12 points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 table.