Gordon Reid couldn't resist urging the Barcelona superstar to sign for his beloved Rangers
10:18, 29 Mar 2025
Lionel Messi meets fans at the Miami Open(Image: GC Images)
Lionel Messi met tennis champion Gordon Reid in Miami this weekend – only to be told 'sign for Rangers.'
The Barcelona legend is still going strong at 37 and is gearing up for an MLS clash with Philadelphia on home turf on Saturday night.
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Also in Miami is wheelchair tennis star Reid, a former Paralympic gold medalist who has conquered Wimbledon an incredible EIGHT times across singles and doubles.
He won the singles gong the same year as his countryman Andy Murray in 2016.
Hailing from Alexandria in East Dunbartonshire, Reid has never hidden his football colours.
After making history by winning the Australian Open for an eighth successive year with his partner Alfie Hewitt in 2022, he joked he was going for 'Ten in a Row' – a cheeky dig at Celtic who had just dropped their own history-making effort to Rangers at the time.
Reid also paraded the Wimbledon trophy on the Ibrox pitch after winning it and regularly attends matches when back home.
So when he bumped into one of the greatest footballers of all-time in Miami, where he took part in the Miami Open this week, he only had one message for the Argentina superstar.
He wrote on X: "What an honour to meet the GOAT. Told him to sign for Rangers, of course!"
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It's a pipe dream these days but amazingly, there was a time when Messi signing for Rangers was a genuinely considered.
Alex McLeish tried to sign him in 2004 after his son Jon spotted him on Championship Manager. The question was asked, but the answer? 'No chance.'
Reid is a doubles specialist, having won an incredible 26 Grand Slams alongside his partner Hewitt. He's also won Wimbledon and the Australian Open out on his own, making him one of the most decorated tennis players ever.
He did however lose his Miami Open singles semi-final against world No.4 Gustavo Fernandez who hails from, would you believe it, Argentina.
Fernandez also downed Reid in the doubles final, he and Spanish star Martin de la Puente downing Reid and Shingo Kunieda.
Messi meanwhile has kicked off the MLS season with four goals in five games – taking his overall Miami tally to 38 in 44.
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