Will Obama's daughters get to meet Lionel Messi at Copa America Centenario?
When Copa America Centenario kicks off this summer, folks will be lining up and filling stadiums for a chance to see some of their favorite stars. Perhaps the biggest star, though, is Argentina talisman Lionel Messi. And rightfully so - the five-time Ballon d'Or winner deserves every bit of praise he receives.
As the heart of his club, Barcelona, and country, Messi has millions of fans. Most of them would give anything for a chance to meet the 28-year-old face-to-face. Two lucky fans have a better shot than all the others, though. Those two would be President Barack Obama's daughters, Sasha and Malia.
At a speaking engagement in Argentina, Obama revealed his daughters hoped to meet the living Argentine legend.
"I also wanted to bring my daughters here, so they could see the beauty and the vibrancy of this city," he said in March. "They've already met one famous Argentinean -- His Holiness Pope Francis. Now they want to meet Messi, but I could not arrange that."
[SELECCIONADOS] #Messi les envió dos camisetas de @Argentina a las hijas de Obama (@POTUS) https://t.co/e0KPtvOerf pic.twitter.com/xyUuLEernJ
— Selección Argentina (@Argentina) April 1, 2016
The internet (and the media) took it from there. A few weeks later, Messi and the Argentina national team sent Sasha and Malia an autographed kit. That alone is awesome, but the big question remaining is: Will they get an in-person meeting? A look at the schedule tells us that there's a good chance of it happening.
The Obama family has roots in Illinois, where the president served in office from 1997 until his election to the presidency in 2008. It just so happens that Argentina's group schedule has them playing at Soldier Field in Chicago on June 10. Even if they miss that opportunity (which they probably won't), there are plenty of other feasible options.
Assuming Argentina don't totally implode, they'll be playing in the knockout stages. One set of semifinals will be played at Soldier Field on June 22, while the final itself will be played in East Rutherford, New Jersey. There are also quarterfinal matches that will be played in New Jersey and Massachusetts. Essentially, the chances are all there.
Really, this comes down to the rest of us measuring our odds of having a shot at meeting Messi. Because if the daughters of the President of the United States of America can't get an audience with the guy, what chance to the rest of us have?
MORE FROM FOX SOCCER:
