Lionel Messi as usual is making headlines worldwide. This time, however, it's not only for his performance for Argentina in the ongoing Copa America but also for sporting a beard that seems to have done wonders for him on the international stage.
Fans around the world have gotten used to seeing the clean-shaven Argentine genius running riot for Spanish club Barcelona. But Messi reached the Copa America Centenario, being held in the United States, with a secret weapon - his beard!
While Messi has been showered with praise for on-field and off-field reasons, his Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo has come under fire from fans following his flop show at the Euro 2016 in France.
The Portuguese star has looked a pale shadow of the player that led Real Madrid to Champions League triumph. His performance and a missed penalty against Austria seemed to be the last straw for some fans as they poked fun at the 31-year-old.
Twitter was abuzz with memes of the Portuguese star and it might now be time for Ronaldo to don a new avatar, maybe a beard like his Argentine rival.
Messi, on the other hand seems content with his new look and even said that he could be killed if he decided to shave his beard.
"I'm leaving the beard, but keeping it neat and tidy," said Messi following Argentina's win over Venezuela in the Copa quarterfinal.
"If I lose the beard, the others would kill me," he told a Spanish daily.
"We believe this is a kabbalah so we will be able to break our bad run and win the trophy. There's no way I'm shaving it off now, my teammates wouldn't let me."
Some Argentina fans are even calling on Messi to keep the beard going until Russia 2018.