Lionel Messi’s bodyguard, who sprang into action to protect the soccer star during Sunday’s game, is widely believed to be an ex-Navy SEAL, but veterans of the elite unit say they’ve never heard of him.
Yassine Chueko shot to fame last month when videos went viral last month of him pacing vigilantly along the sidelines of football matches, shoving an intruder on the pitch and pulling Messi’s hands off fans as they took selfies with the Inter Miami star.
And he further proved his devotion to the athlete during Sunday’s game when a fan in a Barcelona shirt ran onto the pitch and tried to hug Messi. Chueko quickly grabbed the fan by the neck and jerked him off in front of the entire Los Angeles stadium.
Sports websites, including Barstool Sports and publications like La Nacion and the New York Post, reported that Chueko, a tall and muscular mixed martial arts professional, was a former US Navy SEAL who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But current and former members of the elite unit told DailyMail.com that no one they knew had ever heard of him, and his name was not in any database of SEAL veterans they had access to.
A field invader tried to hug Lionel Messi during Inter Miami’s victory on Sunday evening. Bodyguard Yassine Chueko grabbed the fan around the neck and pulled it off
It is widely believed that Lionel Messi’s handsome bodyguard Yassine Chueko is an ex-Navy Seal
According to reports, Chueko is a former Navy Seal with combat experience in both Iraq and Afghanistan and expertise in martial arts. But current and former Navy Seals tell DailyMail.com that no one they knew had ever heard of Chueko in the elite unit
Chueko and Inter Miami did not respond to requests for comment, leaving it a mystery where the claim emerged that the ring fighter turned bodyguard was serving as a SEAL.
A Navy spokeswoman said they could not find any records on Yassine Chueko.
News reports also claim he was hired on the personal recommendation of Inter Miami president David Beckham.
Beckham’s representatives, Authentic Brands Group, also did not respond to requests for comment.
Christophe Freisenbruch, a former SEAL who runs the military medical technology company Rip Shears LLC in Virginia, posted angrily on LinkedIn, referring to a news story about Chueko.
“Karma has a funny way of finding you when you’re publicly advertised as a former SEAL, but you never graduated from BUD/S or didn’t earn the Trident. This is either media misattribution or outright fraud. #stolenvalor,” he wrote.
Another former SEAL, who wished to remain anonymous, told DailyMail.com, “I’ve never heard of him. A former colleague has a database and says he is not (SEAL) Team Guy.’
It is unclear whether Chueko himself was the source of the claims that he had served in the Navy’s crack unit.
But whether he’s an ex-SEAL or not, the videos on Chueko’s Instagram show his terrifying toughness.
Chueko has been hired by Inter Miami to protect Messi and his family
Fans saw Messi’s security patrolling the touchline after his recent goal against Orlando
Videos on Chueko’s Instagram show his terrifying toughness. Boxers repeatedly punch him in the torso
During grueling training routines at a training camp in Thailand, boxers repeatedly punch him in the torso.
A video he posted of one of his mixed martial arts fights shows him achieving a KO of his opponent in less than two minutes with a kick to the head.
Chueko shot to internet fame this month when fans shared videos of him frantically pacing the sidelines during a football match, while keeping the laser eyed on Messi.
He was also filmed quickly stepping in to push away a fan who was coming onto the field.
Other videos show him watching closely when Messi poses for photos with fans, subtly but firmly wiping their hands away as they try to hug the football star, or taking off a football shirt that is thrown at Messi as he exits a stadium.
The feisty bodyguard appears to have been hired after Messi faced invasive publicity while living in Miami.
The Argentine football star is used to being bullied in his home country, where armed police are even deployed to escort him between his hotel and a waiting limousine.
But as soccer becomes more and more popular in the US, he is also recognized and approached in his new hometown of Miami, prompting Inter Miami to hire its burly protection officer.
In July, fans saw him shopping at the Miami supermarket Publix with his family, filmed him and asked for photos.
The Inter Miami attacker eventually left the store when a Miami police SUV arrived.
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