Watch: Lionel Messi fan tweets and executes pitch invasion plan during Copa America match

If you thought pitch invasion was easy, just a crazy sprint across the field in front of thousands of spectators, we pity your ignorance. You can get arrested, charged, banned from future games or worse, get punched in the face by a goalkeeper. Let’s not even get into how much preparation it takes to pull it off. (And by preparation we mean sheer guts or alcohol.) But when a player like Lionel Messi is involved, even the act of dodging security personnel during an international match seems like a noble pursuit. Michael Soto became the latest to join the ranks of numerous ’nerves-of-steel’ fans to get up close with Messi on Wednesday to during Argentina victory over the United States during the Copa America semifinals. Well prepared, Soto even tweeted out his plan before hitting the field.

More from Sports

Gurel offers support to Gukesh after struggling world champion’s hat-trick of losses: 'He can pull things through' 'Helpless' Gukesh hits rock bottom after another defeat to lower-rated teenage player

And finally when the time came, here’s how it unfolded

#USAvARG #VamosArgentina here is the video of the crazy fan running in the field to hug #Messi #stupid #dangerous pic.twitter.com/9OB7yFitYh

— MiamiSun (@jperezmiami) June 22, 2016

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

WWE SummerSlam 2025 Night 2 results: Cody Rhodes beats John Cena in wild title match

Two hugs and and an autograph. Not bad considering that the initial part seem to be just touching Messi’s feet. He even had the whole thing captured on Periscope

Twitter also had a thing or to two to say say about Soto’s antiques

A mortal ran onto the field during #USAvARG.

This is how a soccer god treats his subjects. (h/t @teamLionelmessi) pic.twitter.com/C4YmpXbTg9

— HuffPost Sports (@HuffPostSports) June 22, 2016

Pitch invader just did the "we're not worthy" at Messi's feet, got him to sign his jersey..

— WFHS Soccer (@coyote_soccer) June 22, 2016

But props to Messi too, who seems to have a thing for signing shirts of pitch invaders. Here’s a full video compilation of the Argentine being venerated by pitch invaders and he not punching them.

“I think he [Soto] speaks for all of us,” said the Daily Mail’s live blog. That’s all good, but not like he got a selfie of something, like a certain La Liga rival playing in the Euro.