Lionel Messi still has a strong reaction when he sees a Cristiano Ronaldo jersey in front of him

You can take Lionel Messi out of Barcelona, but you can’t take the Barcelona out of Messi.

When confronted with the jersey of Cristiano Ronaldo, his famous Real Madrid rival from their years in Spain, the Argentine could not hide his angry reaction. On the weekend of El Clasico, no less.

Messi swarmed by fans at his son’s match for Inter Miami

The video of the interaction was one of many pictures captured during Messi’s day out in Naples, Florida to watch his son Thiago, who plays for Inter Miami’s academy team.

When Messi made his first public appearance in Florida, few patrons at a local Publix grocery store recognized him, Clearly, the Messi Mania has grown since then, as he was followed by a crowd at the youth soccer event over the weekend, following the disappointing conclusion to Inter Miami’s MLS season.

The Inter Miami captain made plenty of dreams come true that day, taking pictures with every fan and team who asked. Except for one.

When a kid approached him in a crowd, holding up a yellow CR7 Al Nassr kit, Messi broke his character, staring down the attention-seeker, expressing exactly how he felt without saying a single word.

Messi’s bodyguard, who could be seen in nearly every photo taken that day in Naples, seemed to sense the tension and step in, making sure his client stayed safe among the crowd.

Perhaps Messi was on edge after Jude Bellingham lifted Los Blancos past Barca in El Clasico. But he has a chance to be in a much better mood on Monday, when the Balon d’Or will announce its winner, for which Messi is the favorite to win his seventh trophy.