Patrick Stewart's wife wanted Lionel Messi, not Cristiano Ronaldo, and the actor made sure her wish came true

Patrick Stewart had two football icons in front of him at the 2017 Best FIFA Football Awards in London. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were both among the guests, but the actor had a different priority. He wanted to make his wife, Sunny Ozell, happy by introducing her to Messi. The encounter required some effort, as Stewart had to get past security to reach the Argentine. His story has resurfaced following his death at 86, offering a glimpse of the personal side of the actor beyond his celebrated screen roles.Patrick Stewart went out of his way to introduce his wife to Lionel MessiStewart attended the 2017 awards ceremony with Ozell, who had developed a strong admiration for Messi. Her interest in football had grown after watching the Argentine play, and the actor knew that meeting him would mean a great deal to her.He had even promised to make the introduction if Messi attended the event. Stewart recalled the conversation during an interview with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.“I knew he was going to be at that event, and I told my wife: ‘If he’s there, I’ll do everything in my power to put the two of you face to face.’ She told me, ‘And what happens if he becomes my ‘hall pass’?’ I answered: ‘That’s fine by me,'” Stewart said.Keeping that promise was not easy. The actor recalled seeing Messi, Ronaldo and Argentine legend Diego Maradona at the ceremony, but security made it difficult to approach them.“It was really difficult because there was security as you’ve never seen. Messi was there, Cristiano Ronaldo, and the other great Argentine… Diego Maradona, the Hand of God. I crashed into the security door. ‘Excuse me, excuse me,’ I said. ‘I’m Patrick Stewart,’ I embarrassed myself.”The actor eventually managed to get close to Messi, although finding him in the crowd proved another challenge.Messi's reaction made the meeting even more specialStewart said Messi had turned around and leaned over his seat, making it difficult to spot him among the other guests. When the footballer finally sat up, the two came face to face.“I stood behind him, and he sat up, turned, and we were face to face. And you’ll see, his face… this is very moving for me… It simply lit up before me. And I said to him: ‘Mr. Messi, please, my wife…'” Stewart recalled.Ozell got the photograph she had hoped for. Stewart took a picture of his wife standing beside Messi rather than asking for a selfie. The moment also brought an unexpected gesture from Messi's wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, who asked for a photograph with the actor.“There they shook hands. And I said to them: ‘Please, can I take a photo of you together?’ So I took their photo; it wasn’t a selfie. I took the photo of my wife with Messi, side by side, and then his wife (Antonela Roccuzzo) said: ‘And I want a photo with you!'”Ozell later explained just how much the meeting meant to her. She had met many famous people during her years working in New York restaurants, but Messi was different.“After having worked in fancy New York restaurants for years, I met a lot of important people and became quite immune to nerves. And, to be honest, there aren’t many living human beings in the world I would love to meet. But Messi? Lionel Messi? You can bet your sweet ass I was scared.”Stewart also shared a selfie with Messi on social media, adding a short but memorable caption: “I met a God tonight!”What makes the story stand out is that Stewart was not trying to make his own celebrity encounter the focus. He had made a promise to his wife and wanted to keep it. The fact that Messi's family also joined the moment made the evening even more memorable.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.