Hand in hand with Messi

“I thought my nerves were going to give out,” confides Jack Gunn, who walked on the pitch at Saputo stadium with his idol

His parents had warned him well: no elbowing.

The chances of Jack Gunn’s plan working that day were slim. So there was no question of him bickering to achieve his ends. Instead, he had to use strategy… and hope that luck was on his side.

The stars, finally, aligned.

Jack Gunn is the 10-year-old boy who accompanied, hand in hand, Lionel Messi on the pitch at the Saputo stadium last Saturday, before the highly anticipated match against CF Montreal.

“The best player in the world”, according to him. The one he owns two sweaters from. The one whose posters cover the walls at home. Also, the one whose highlights he knows by heart.

“I thought my nerves were going to give out!” », he says with a smile, a few days after what he describes as the most precious moment of his life.

Like many boys his age, Jack is not the most talkative. And as his training with the Pointe-Claire U11 club is about to begin, we don’t want to hold him back for too long.

The expressions that animate his face, however, do not lie. His “Messi” branded shoes and backpack also provide us with clues: it was certainly his most passionate young supporter on the island of Montreal that the Argentinian met.

What does he admire about himself? “He has the most assists in the league,” Jack retorts straight away. Attacking like his idol, he tries to imitate him by distributing the ball to his teammates. “If you have a lot of assists, your team will have more goals,” he analyzes, emphasizing Messi’s leadership and his skills with the ball, he who has “almost the most goals” in MLS – he is in fact second on the circuit.

“And he’s not like Neymar, he doesn’t drop to the ground. » Hard, but fair.

Strategy

As the Pointe-Claire club is a partner of CF Montreal, some of its players aged 8 to 13 had the opportunity to participate in the pre-match ceremony last Saturday.

Given the scarcity of tickets available, the club gave priority to children who already had their place in the stands. Good news for Jack: his family has a subscription.

All the selected children were therefore gathered in the tunnel adjoining the field before the meeting. Everyone then had to go and choose a place, where they would be joined by a player, without knowing which one.

“I had a 50% chance of ending up on the Inter Miami side,” emphasizes Jack.

First in the group to make his choice, he opted for the row to his left. Good game.

Calmly, he walked forward. Where, he calculated, the captain would join him.

“We told him: ‘You probably won’t be with Messi,’ insists his mother Erika. But you’ll be on the same field as him, which is very cool.” »

Jack still couldn’t help but hope. And he did well. When the players arrived, it was his favorite who sat next to him.

The boy struggles to describe the emotions that overwhelmed him. Something like a mixture of excitement and joy.

Those responsible for the activity had asked the children not to speak to the players so as not to take them out of their bubble. The instructions were followed to the letter. Messi didn’t speak to him either, obviously focused on the match which would start in a few minutes.

Jack didn’t mind: he too is very focused before his matches, he tells us. Then the moment arrived. Messi took his hand, the two walked out of the tunnel first, followed by players from both teams.

” I was shaking “

In the stands, his parents quickly recognized the Inter Miami shorts their boy had received as a gift before the Argentine’s first MLS match last year.

It was indeed a very serious young man who set foot on the pitch at the Saputo stadium. He admits to having made superhuman efforts to remain calm, wanting to maintain a solemn demeanor during the national anthems.

What was he thinking during those few moments? “That I was standing next to the best player in the world”, quite simply. He didn’t care about the 20,000 or so spectators in the stands. He only had it for his neighbor.

The children were then invited to leave the field and join their parents. During the meeting, Jack, usually a fan of CF Montreal, sided with Miami. He admits that he added his voice to “Messi!” Messi! » which resonated at the end of the match, which CFM head coach Laurent Courtois openly deplored.

“It was just for one day,” Jack defends. But it will happen every time Messi comes to Montreal, because he is the most popular player. »

For the little player, however, it was anything but “just a day.” It was rather a magical evening, which he will remember, as we can imagine, for the rest of his life.