Inter Miami bathroom cleaner sacked for asking Messi to sign his shirt

Inter Miami has reportedly fired a bathroom cleaner for allegedly breaching protocol by asking Lionel Messi for his autograph. The incident occurred on Wednesday, August 2, during Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match against Orlando City at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

The cleaner, Cristian Salamanca, worked for a company contracted to clean venues for various sports and music events, including Inter Miami’s stadium. On the day of the match, Salamanca was stationed near where the teams arrived at the stadium. Underneath his uniform, he was wearing an Argentina jersey, and when Messi and the Inter Miami players got off the bus, he took the opportunity to approach the Argentine superstar.

“I had to clean the bathrooms in the sector where the buses park. Fortunately, I was out there when the bus arrived and all the players got out. The last one was Messi,” Salamanca told Argentine newspaper La Nacion.

“I yelled at him: ‘Hey, world champion!’ He turned to look. I lifted up my uniform shirt, and I had on the shirt of the Argentine team and a marker. He gave me his autograph. Security came right away, they took me out and fired me from my job, but it was worth every second!”

According to reports, all stadium staff, whether employed by the club or an outside company, are warned about the importance of remaining professional and not approaching players for photographs or autographs.

Following the incident, Salamanca was let go from his job, and he had to inform his wife, who was working inside the stadium, to collect his belongings.