The janitor lost his job because he asked for Messi's autograph

Cristian Salamanca works for a contract company that cleans venues for various music and sports events.

Wednesday 2/8 marked his first shift - and also his last - at Inter Miami's DRV PNK pitch in Fort Lauderdale. That day, the representative of MLS played Orlando City in the round of 16 of the 2023 Leagues Cup.

Salamanca was assigned to clean up near where the players entered the field. Inside the company's uniform, he was wearing Argentina's jersey to wait for the signature of his idol Messi.

"I was assigned to clean the restroom in the area where the bus stopped. Luckily, I was out there when the bus arrived and all the players got off. The last one was Messi," Salamanca recounts the incident. job in the Argentine newspaper La Nacion.

At that time, this male magazine did not continue to clean, but interrupted to ask for Messi's signature. "I shouted, 'Hey, world champion.' And Messi turned to look at me," Salamanca continued. "I lifted up my uniform shirt to reveal the Argentina national team shirt and took out a marker. Messi signed it for me. Security staff came right away, took me out and fired me. But it was worth every second."

After being fired, Salamanca had to ask his wife - who also works in the yard of DRV PNK - to clean up the furniture.

According to British newspaper Sportmail, staff at the DRV PNK stadium - whether members of Inter Miami or from an outside company - are warned to maintain professionalism and not to disturb Messi to ask for a photo with or signature.

In that match on August 2, Messi continued to shine when he scored a brace to help Inter Miami win 3-1 to enter the round of 16 of the 2023 Leagues Cup. The other goal was scored by striker Josef Martinez from the first penalty. second half.

In addition to two goals, Messi also attracted attention with his aggressive play when there were many situations of clashes with Orlando City players. After the game, Orlando City coach Oscar Pareja criticized the referee for not giving a second yellow card and sending off the Argentine star for a foul at the end of the first half.

Lowering Orlando, Inter Miami will meet another American representative, FC Dallas in the 1/8 round of the 2023 Leagues Cup on August 6.