In early July, Argentina's captain Lionel Messi made a surprise appearance in an advertisement for the film "Spider-Man: Brand New Day", acting alongside Tom Holland's "Spider-Man". In a recent film promotional interview, Holland expressed his appreciation for working with the Inter Miami star. "Messi is a legend. His involvement in the project is largely due to his children's enthusiastic fandom for 'Spider-Man'", the actor stated.

Holland added that he had often seen the Argentina captain mimic "Spider-Man's" hand gestures after scoring goals on the field. Messi's connection with Marvel characters began in 2023. After his transfer to Inter Miami, he frequently emulated the gestures of "Spider-Man", "Thor", and "Black Panther" during goal celebrations.

Messi appearing in the same frame as Tom Holland's "Spider-Man". *Photo: Sony Pictures Vietnam*

Speaking to the *Miami Herald*, Messi revealed the idea originated from watching Marvel movies with his three sons, Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro, during their family vacation. "My sons asked me to perform superhero-style celebrations every time I scored at home, so we could share that moment together", the 39-year-old forward explained.

What began as celebrations inspired by his children evolved into an official collaboration campaign with Marvel. Currently, under the guidance of coach Lionel Scaloni, Messi and the Argentina national team are on a 7-match winning streak, preparing for a final against Spain on 19/7.

*Minh Phuong (Timesofindia, Marca, Yahoo)*