Messi dissolves into laughter as Romero's oversized lighter is confiscated at airport security

Lionel Messi showed a rarely seen comedic side on Thursday when airport security pulled a large spark lighter from Cristian Romero’s luggage during a TSA check before Argentina’s charter flight to Miami, where the Albiceleste face Cabo Verde in the World Cup round of 32 on Friday.

Video footage captured at the tarmac-side security screening showed Messi lining up alongside team-mates including Rodrigo De Paul and Romero as the squad prepared to board their plane. When a security officer extracted the oversized lighter from the Tottenham captain’s suitcase, Messi — who had been watching closely — immediately broke into a wide grin before dissolving into laughter in front of his colleagues. The item appeared to be confiscated, with security staff notably less amused than the Argentina skipper.

The clip spread quickly on social media, offering a glimpse of a looser, more playful Messi than the composed figure the world is accustomed to seeing. It arrives at a moment when the 39-year-old has every reason to be in good spirits: he leads the World Cup golden boot standings with six goals in three group-stage matches, having scored a hat-trick against Algeria, a brace against Austria — despite missing a penalty in that game — and a further goal against Jordan.

With Argentina progressing to the knockout rounds and widely expected to challenge deep into the tournament, many observers believe this will be Messi’s sixth and final World Cup. If the airport footage is anything to go by, the Rosario-born forward is intent on enjoying every moment of it.