‘Obviously, shaking his hand, he was someone that I had looked up to and grew up watching, an idol for a lot of kids. That was a really nerve-wracking moment in my life, for sure.

‘I presented myself, asked him how he was doing. His kids were there, so I said hi to his kids. It was just an amazing moment.’

Lionel Messi and Benjamin Cremaschi have been teammates at Inter Miami since this summer

Cremaschi is eligible to represent either Argentina or the United States internationally

The 18-year-old Cremaschi even remembers the moment he first saw Messi at a team facility, before being face-to-face with him.

‘It was crazy. I remember before I walked into the locker room, I saw him walk in before, and I was texting my family “Oh, my god, he’s right in front of me,”‘ Cremaschi said. ‘That was a crazy, surreal moment, for sure.’

After two years with Pairs Saint-Germain, Messi made his Inter Miami debut on July 21, a 2-1 victory over Liga MX’s Cruz Azul with Messi scoring the free-kick, stoppage-time winner.

Less than a month after coming to Major League Soccer, Messi helped Inter Miami lift its first trophy in franchise trophy with the Leagues Cup.

Messi also helped Inter Miami reach the finals of the U.S. Open Cup. Without Messi in the final because of an injury, the Houston Dynamo lifted the trophy instead.

Although Messi couldn’t help Inter Miami dig itself out of a massive hole and make the MLS playoffs, the team is one of the early favorites to make a deep run next season.

Messi helped Inter Miami win the Leagues Cup and reach the final of the U.S. Open Cup

‘I grew up in Miami, so it is obviously an amazing feeling, and now I share a locker room with Messi,’ Cremaschi said.

‘So it’s honestly been a ridiculous year, an amazing year, and I’m just happy as could be the first year of my professional career.’

As far as how close Cremaschi is with one of the greatest soccer players of all time, well, they’re not best friends yet.

‘I don’t have him in my contacts, but he is in a group chat that we have as a team,’ Cremaschi said.

‘So if I ever need to reach out to him, I would.’