Lionel Messi made his highly anticipated return to the pitch in a friendly against Iceland, finding the back of the net in Argentina’s final tune-up before the 2026 World Cup kicks off. However, the biggest highlight came after the final whistle blew, when the Argentine maestro shared a heartwarming post-match exchange with Iceland‘s Daniel Gudjohnsen.
As players from both sides began exchanging handshakes at midfield, cameras caught Messi locked in a lively conversation with the young Icelandic attacker. Initially caught off guard, Messi’s face instantly lit up with a massive smile the second he realized he was speaking to the son of his former FC Barcelona teammate, Eidur Gudjohnsen.
When asked about the viral moment in the mixed zone, Messi happily shared details of their brief interaction. “He told me, ‘do you remember who I am?’. Truthfully, it surprised me at that moment. Then he told me he was Gudjohnsen’s son. I don’t really remember, to be honest, he was very small. I remember seeing him, being with his father at some training session. But I didn’t remember him, he was too young.”
Daniel Gudjohnsen was born in London in March 2006 during his father’s stint at Chelsea, just months before the family relocated to Catalonia. Now playing his club soccer for Malmo, the young forward originally crossed paths with Messi as a baby; fast forward nearly 20 years, and the historic playmaker has now gone from sharing a locker room with the father to competing against the son.
Messi and Gudjohnsen’s father at Barcelona
Arriving at the Camp Nou in 2006, Eidur Gudjohnsen spent four incredibly successful seasons with FC Barcelona before departing in 2010. During that golden era, the versatile forward helped the Blaugrana capture a La Liga title, a Copa del Rey, two Spanish Super Cups, a UEFA Champions League trophy, and a UEFA Super Cup.
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Throughout those formative years, Gudjohnsen had a front-row seat as Lionel Messi skyrocketed from a promising young talent to the best player on the planet. From his vantage point on the bench, the Icelandic striker watched Messi execute his iconic, gravity-defying header against Manchester United to seal a 2-0 victory in the 2009 Champions League final.
By lifting that trophy, Gudjohnsen became the first player in Iceland’s history to win a Champions League title, ultimately tallying 19 goals and 10 assists across 114 appearances for Barcelona. He later anchored the legendary Iceland squad that shocked Europe by reaching the Euro 2016 quarterfinals before hanging up his boots in 2017, a retirement that narrowly denied him a pitchside reunion with Messi at the 2018 World Cup where Iceland faced Argentina.
