Praise kept pouring in for Barcelona star Lionel Messi and on Thursday even gushed from the U.S. government.
“Messi scored five!” acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Mike Hammer said, in the first press conference in Spanish at the U.S. State Department.
“Even if I’m a Real Madrid fan ...” Mr. Hammer said with reference to Barcelona’s arch-rivals.
Messi scored five goals in Barcelona’s 7-1 Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen, setting a new record.
Hammer, who has relatives living in Spain, referred to the historic match when he heard a question on U.S.-Brazilian relations, and noted that Brazil has “very good footballers” too. The comment was met with laughter by reporters.
