With FIFA World Cup 2026 celebrations taking over social media and the world by storm, a series of videos featuring a 100-year-old granny and her unwavering love for football legend Lionel Messi have gone viral.
The videos show the superfan enthusiastically cheering for Messi and Argentina, while holding up adorable handmade placards in the stands.
The clips were first shared by popular Instagram page Pubity. In the caption, Pubity wrote: “At 100 years old, @rosssmith’s grandma Pauline Kana is still traveling the world to support her favorite player, Lionel Messi. After becoming a fan favorite at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, she was also spotted cheering for Messi and Argentina during their latest World Cup match in 2026, proving her passion for the game hasn’t slowed down one bit. Known as ‘Gangster Granny,’ Pauline has built a reputation for living life to the fullest. From following Messi across continents to setting a Guinness World Record as the oldest person to crowd surf, she continues to show that age is just a number."
Pauline, who also has her own Instagram presence, has been sharing several moments from the FIFA World Cup 2026. In one particularly video, she can be seen holding a placard that reads, “Messi, will you marry me?" And to everyone’s surprise, Messi does notice the sign and reacts to it.
Netizens react:
A user reacted, “She ain’t Messing around." Another wrote, “2 Goats! Love that granny is living her best life." A third commented, “Football brings everyone together."
