TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 Lionel Messi did not win a second World Cup or the Golden Boot. But the Argentine superstar did get a signed Texas A&M jersey from Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed.<\/p>\n
As for whether Messi kept it, Reed said he doesn\u2019t care, because he got something in the exchange.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no idea, but I know I have a ball signed by Messi and it could be worth a lot of money,\u201d Reed said Wednesday at at SEC media days.<\/p>\n
The exchange happened June 6, when Argentina had an exhibition game against Honduras at Kyle Field. Messi didn\u2019t play in the game, but there were still more than 90,000 fans in attendance to see the match, including Reed, who was with Von Miller, the former NFL and Aggies great.<\/p>\n
During the game, someone else pointed out that Reed and Messi both wear No. 10. \u201cDo you want to meet him?\u201d the friend asked Reed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like, sure, why not meet Messi?\u201d Reed recalled.<\/p>\n
So Reed went down to the tunnel outside what is normally the visitor\u2019s locker room, which Argentina was using. After Argentina\u2019s 2-0 win, Messi emerged from the locker room and was directed over to Reed. The two exchanged a brief handshake, the jersey and ball, and a short, stilted conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomebody asked me, \u2018What did you guys talk about?\u2019 I\u2019m like, the guy doesn\u2019t speak a lick of English,\u201d Reed said, smiling. \u201cSo we didn\u2019t really talk about anything. I had my jersey. He said: \u2018Para me?\u2019 I said, \u2018Yes for you, yes, this is for you.\u2019 I knew a little bit, I took three years of Spanish in high school.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another shot of Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed meeting another No. 10, Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Saturday in Kyle Field: pic.twitter.com\/i6H0oVDCdX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 \ud835\udd4b\ud835\udd63\ud835\udd52\ud835\udd67\ud835\udd5a\ud835\udd64 \ud835\udd43. \ud835\udd39\ud835\udd63\ud835\udd60\ud835\udd68\ud835\udd5f (@Travis_L_Brown) June 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Aggies coach Mike Elko is a big soccer fan, but wasn\u2019t at that game because he was hosting recruits. Still, he could appreciate having Messi in Kyle Field, meeting his quarterback.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a legend in this sport, and he\u2019s a legend in sport in general,\u201d Elko said of Messi. \u201cAnd so for him to be in our stadium, and obviously for Marcel to get a chance to swap jerseys, I think that\u2019s a really special moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Texas A&M is coming off its best season in years, which included a College Football Playoff bid, propelled in large part by Reed\u2019s play.<\/p>\n The season didn\u2019t end well: Two straight losses, first at archrival Texas and then at home to Miami in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Reed said his game-sealing interception against Miami still bothers him. But he also sees the 2025 season as validation of what the team can accomplish going forward.<\/p>\n \u201cI think us going 11-0 spoke a lot of volume about what our team is capable of,\u201d Reed said. \u201cObviously the last two games didn\u2019t go how we wanted to go. We just have to raise our floor. That\u2019s what\u2019s going to happen this year. We have a lot of talent, a lot of experience, and can only go up.\u201d<\/p>\n