One fan knelt down in front of Messi and started shining the Argentina captain's boots yesterday. Messi laughed, received a hug from the fan and gave him his sweater before a security guard pulled him away.
Other fans ran off with one of the balls that the Argentines had used during the training session.
Argentina-Brazil is one of the world's fiercest football rivalries, but you couldn't tell from the scenes at Independencia stadium in Belo Horizonte.
"Brazilians like Argentina. The rivalry is a myth," said Vinicius Andrade, 20.
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Tiago Tanure, a 16-year-old wearing an Argentina shirt, was one example. "Messi, (Sergio) Arguero. I like the team, I like the country," he said.
Debora Demetrio, 36, came to see Messi but said she was ashamed to see so many Brazilians wearing Argentina colors.
"Very sad," she said, with a smile that revealed she wasn't too upset. "I'm 100 percent for Brazil."