All eyes of the local public have been on Lionel Messi since he's moved to the United States. But there is always one more person around Leo, and it's not his longtime teammate Jordi Alba or Sergio Busquets.
During the U.S. Open Cup match against Cincinnati, many fans noticed a man who ran across the entire sideline of the field after Lionel Messi evened the score in the match. That was Yassine Cheuko, and his job is to always be by Leo's side. He is the bodyguard of the Argentine star. Telecomasia.net tells about the man who was entrusted with such a demanding and responsible job.
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How Yassine became Messi's bodyguard
Yes, Florida is a safer place than the Argentine's homeland, but Inter Miami co-owners David Beckham and Jorge Mas decided to maximize their star's safety. That's no surprise, as Leo drives some people crazy in the most literal sense. According to rumors, there is a 50-man team working on Messi's security, headed by Yassine Cheuko. Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas said that the club has thoroughly prepared for defending Messi both on and off the pitch.
Selecting a worthy candidate for this position took quite a while. They needed a perfect guard, who would be stress-resistant, inconspicuous, reliable, non-conflictive and physically fit. It looks like Yassine only has trouble looking inconspicuous.
Who is Yassine Cheuko?
Cheuko is a 34-year-old American of Arab descent, a former soldier in the U.S. Navy. In 2001, he fought in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the Navy SEAL, the primary tactical unit of the U.S. Navy's special operations forces.
Moreover, Yassine can be considered an expert in mixed martial arts, taekwondo and boxing: he also teaches taekwondo and boxing. Also, the American has participated in several MMA fights, as you can see on his social media pages.
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Now he has almost 190 thousand subscribers on Instagram, including Messi and even Sergio Ramos. Scrolling through his profile, you can see a photo with former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
This photo was made after the match between Barcelona (by the way, Yassine is a Barça fan) and PSG in the Champions League (1-4) on February 16, 2021, when Lionel was playing his last six months with his hometown club.
Bet on football with 1xBetHow Cheuko guards Messi
Leo's circle calls Yassine a professional. He doesn't interfere much with Leo's movements, and can hardly be called intrusive. Cheuko has also been spotted beside Messi's wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro when they go out. Cheuko also personally visits and checks every restaurant Messi's family wants to go to.
Yassine follows the Argentine every time Lionel appears in public, walks with his family or just goes shopping. Chueko does not notice either Sergio Busquets or Jordi Alba when they get off the bus, but as soon as the Inter Miami captain is in sight, the bodyguard begins his work.
He is also there for Messi during the matches. He basically copies every movement of the Argentine. If Lionel runs ahead, you can see Yassine on the sideline, moving in the same direction at almost the same speed.
Bet on football with 1xBetBut some of the actions of the former navy confuse the fans. For example, he stopped a child from taking a photo with his idol. Once fans threw the Argentina national team jersey to get it signed by the star and Yassine Cheuko did not hesitate to throw it away on the ground. He was just doing his job, for which he receives about $250,000 a month.
He tackled a fan who ran onto the pitch, and now he needs to learn how to catch bottles?
Messi made his debut back in June, but the initial excitement hasn't faded yet, so Yassine can't relax. Thus, after the match against Los Angeles, a fan in a Messi shirt ran onto the field, touched the footballed, but was seized by the bodyguard and handed over to the stewards.
But there is more. Somebody threw a water bottle at Leo at the entrance to the locker room. However, it hit another man.
Yassine should probably take a lesson or two from the Moroccan goalkeeper with the same name - Yassine Bounou, so he can stop not only running fans, but flying objects as well.
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