Four years ago, Lionel Messi revealed that Zinedine Zidane was the only non-Argentine player he had ever asked to swap shirts with, but on Wednesday the Argentine asked another opponent, who was visibly shocked, for his jersey.
Click through the gallery above to see some images of the moment!
The FC Barcelona captain guided his side to a comfortable 3-0 LaLiga win over Elche on Wednesday, scoring a second-half brace.
The victory saw the Blaugrana close their gap on league leaders Atletico Madrid to just five points, with the Rojiblancos having a game in hand, while Elche remained in the relegation zone.
Despite seeing his team lose on the night, Elche goalkeeper Edgar Badia still asked for Messi's shirt after the final whistle, and to his surprise, the Argentine also wanted his in return.
Badia might have read the comments Messi made to Spanish outlet Invictos in 2017, about the only player he had previously asked to swap shirts with, and was shell-shocked for a second about the 33-year-old's request.
"I am not one to ask to swap shirts. I asked, once... I asked Zidane," Messi said at the time.
"I don't ask for shirts. If there is an Argentine, I will swap with an Argentine.
"If not and there is someone else that asks me, I will swap it with them. If not, I do not look and do not ask."
In the end, though, both players exchanged shirts and a hug before making their ways to the dressing room.
Read: Report: Barca Dressing Room 'Broken' After PSG Thrashing
