As his whirlwind start to life in the United States continues apace, Lionel Messi has followed up his triumph with Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup and a stellar performance to lead his new club into the final of the U.S. Open Cup by starring in a new music video.
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The 36-year-old Argentina captain makes a scene-stealing appearance in the promo for a song by Colombian music star Maluma.
Earlier this month, the urbano artist posted on Instagram a picture of himself with the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner at Inter Miami's DRV PNK Stadium, with both of them in the team's kit. The accompanying caption read that "the approval of Messi was missing," referring to Maluma's new album, "Don Juan."
Then, on Thursday, he teased a clip of the video for a new song entitled "Trofeo," calling it a "tribute to the greatest" before namechecking Messi and capping things off with a goat emoji. The full video dropped on YouTube soon afterward.
Messi's cameo in the "Trofeo" video begins at around the three-minute mark. Wearing a Miami jersey with "Messi, 10" on the back, Maluma goes striding out of the stadium tunnel and onto the pitch, where he is met by the maestro himself.
Introduced first by his distinct leg tattoo, Messi comes face-to-face with Maluma in the centre circle before offering a handshake and presenting the rapper with a big silver trophy.
As music video concepts go, it's pretty on the nose, but who are we to deny a reggaeton superstar the opportunity to do a little dance with a trophy handed to him by the GOAT?
It's not the first time that Messi has played the role of himself with such aplomb since lifting the World Cup at the end of last year. In June, he starred in an episode of "Los Protectores" ("The Protectors"), an Argentine comedy drama about three soccer agents.
Having conquered the world of football, and making good work of his foray into acting, could this cameo in a music video be Messi's first tentative step toward a recording career? Watch this space.