One of the sights that have flourished Inter Miami’s matches today is not only Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, or the club owner and English football legend David Beckham. The figure that is currently attracting attention and going viral in the world of social media is a well-built man who runs parallel to the side of the field with Messi’s movements.
Despite working on the side, this figure plays an important role in Lionel Messi’s actions in the United States. He is a former US special forces officer and an expert in MMA. He is reportedly named Yassine Chueko.
Marca’s report from the Daily Mail said that David Beckham himself chose the former Navy SEAL who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan as Messi’s personal bodyguard. The rise of pitch invaders in recent years made Beckham prioritize the safety of his new mega star.
The bodyguard is seen always around Messi wearing a black Inter Miami polo shirt and training pants. The video footage shows how he fends off the clothes thrown by the fans, watching the megastar up close, all the way down to the pitch to accompany Messi after Inter Miami’s win over Nashville in the Leagues Cup.
An example of Chueko’s commitment to the job went viral yesterday during Inter Miami’s clash against Cincinnati. As Messi celebrated the last-minute equalizer, Chueko was seen sprinting down the sideline overseeing the celebrations.
Interestingly, some of Chueko’s uploads on his personal Instagram (which are followed by Lionel Messi) show that he had trained at the Bali MMA gym located in the Canggu area, Bali. Before Messi arrived, the co-owner of Inter Miami, Jorge Mas, did say that the security aspect had become one of Miami’s main concerns after Messi arrived.
“Security will of course be improved,” he said at the Miami Herald some time ago. “All security protocols for home and away matches have been prepared. Not only for our matches. It’s going to be an everyday thing, something I think we handled well when Messi trained here with the Argentina national team before the 2022 World Cup. At that time, we saw Messi mania in his daily life. So, we were very prepared.”
