Watch Champions League mascots' in awe of Lionel Messi, PSG star gives them a hug

As the second round of the Champions League was all set to begin, a heartwarming moment involving Lionel Messi during the Maccabi Haifa vs Paris Saint-Germain went viral on social media.

Ahead of the UCL clash between the two sides, where the players had finished lining up at the Sammy Ofer Stadium for all the pre-match festivities, the UCL mascots - all children - were seen being visibly starstruck at the sight of the Argentine icon.

They even broke out of their line formation just to be close to the PSG star and even went on to give him a hug.

However, it did not stop with just one hug as the 35-year-old had practically half of the game's mascots surrounding him.

Talking about the clash, the footballer went on to break Cristiano Ronaldo's record of scoring against 38 teams in the Champions League. Messi's goal against Maccabi Haifa meant that he has now scored against 39 teams - the most number of distinct teams in the competition's history.

He equalized for PSG in the 37th minute after Maccabi Haifa had taken the lead in the 24th minute of the game.

He later even assisted Mbappe to help score a goal in the 69th minute. Later, Neymar Jr. skillfully converted a lob pass to help PSG win the clash 3-1.