Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi answered former teammate Xavi’s call to complete the “10-touch toilet paper challenge” on Instagram on Thursday.
The Barcelona captain posted on Instagram stories of him displaying his renowned football skills but with a toilet roll for the challenge, which has spread across social media as athletes remain in lockdown because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Its premise is simple: juggle a toilet roll as you would a football and reach 10 touches before it hits the ground. You then challenge others to do the same.
Messi was challenged by his former Barcelona teammate Xavi, who is now manager of Qatar Stars League side Al Sadd. Xavi posted a video of himself completing the challenge in a palm tree-filled backyard before calling out Messi.
Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer offers an effortless display before kicking the toilet roll off camera. Messi then called out Barcelona teammates Arturo Vidal, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez plus his Argentina national team strike partner Sergio Aguero of Manchester City.
The challenge has proved popular with the professional football fraternity – stars such as Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix and Juventus defender Mathis De Ligt have all joined in the fun.
More are expected to follow as players train from home with football suspended because of the spread of Covid-19 cases. The English Premier League announced it would not resume before April 30 on Thursday.
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