Lionel Messi has experienced his fair share of fan admiration over the years, but a recent moment during Inter Miami\u2019s FIFA Club World Cup group stage match took even him by surprise. Just before kickoff against Palmeiras, the 38-year-old football legend noticed a cheeky and unexpected message from the stands: \u201cMessi, will you marry me?\u201d<\/p>\n
The proposal came from 98-year-old Pauline Kana, better known on social media as \u201cGangster Granny.\u201d Known for her humorous videos and energetic personality, Pauline has become a viral sensation online, often seen at major sporting events with her grandson, influencer Ross Smith.<\/p>\n
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As reported by Goal<\/em>, Messi was warming up at Hard Rock Stadium when he spotted the bold, handwritten sign. Clearly amused, he responded with a warm smile and a thumbs-up. However, he gently declined the marriage proposal with a wave of his hand, making the moment all the more endearing.<\/p>\n Though Messi didn\u2019t accept the offer, his polite and lighthearted reaction won praise from fans around the world. Meanwhile, Pauline seemed to enjoy every second of the spotlight. Her fun-loving spirit and confident sign captured hearts on social media, reminding everyone that you\u2019re never too old to shoot your shot, even with one of the world\u2019s most admired athletes.<\/p>\n Pauline, known for her appearances at events like WWE matches and NFL games, managed to steal a bit of the limelight from the football icon that evening. It was a sweet, humorous interruption to an otherwise intense sports setting.<\/p>\n Despite the brief flirtation from the stands, Messi remains committed to what matters most. The World Cup-winning captain is preparing to lead Inter Miami into the next stage of the tournament, facing off against former club Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16.<\/p>\n Off the pitch, Messi\u2019s personal life is firmly grounded. He\u2019s happily married to Antonela Roccuzzo, his lifelong partner and mother of their three sons: Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro.<\/p>\n In the end, the unforgettable moment with \u201cGangster Granny\u201d added a bit of joy and levity to Messi\u2019s ongoing legacy, proving once again that even the most serious athletes can have a little fun with their fans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lionel Messi has experienced his fair share of fan admiration over the years, but a recent moment during Inter Miami\u2019s\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":77351,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[184],"tags":[231],"class_list":["post-77346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","tag-lionel-messi"],"reading_time":"2 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77346\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}