“Age is just a number.” The story of a woman who stole the spotlight by proposing to marry Messi | sports

On a night when Argentine star Lionel Messi managed to set a new World Cup record against the Austrian national team, an emotional shot emerged from the stands, capturing the hearts of followers and turning into the most prominent event on social media platforms.

While Argentina was settling the confrontation with two goals to none in the city of Dallas, the television broadcast focused on a 100-year-old fan, who was wearing the famous Argentine national team shirt, and appeared with a sign in her hands in which she wrote: “I am 100 years old and I am a fan of Messi.”

Spontaneous scene details

This snapshot, which spread at lightning speed, belongs to the American woman Pauline Cana, who is known in the digital space as “Granny Smith.” According to details published by the newspaper “Marca,” this grandmother from Ohio is considered one of the most prominent content creators, along with her grandson Ross Smith, as they participate in producing comedies and funny challenges that are widely popular.

The scene in the stands in Dallas was not the first of its kind in her career to express her love for the Argentine captain, as she is accustomed to grabbing attention during the 2025 Club World Cup.

She attended Inter Miami’s matches, and appeared carrying a funny sign during the match against Porto in which she wrote: “Messi, will you marry me?”

She returned against Paris Saint-Germain to celebrate with another banner saying: “Messi, I love you. Age is just a number.”

Messi interacted with these scenes with a smile from afar, which highlights a state of affection between the player and his fan.

Record numbers outside the stadiums

Behind this cheerful spirit stands a story full of records. Before she stole the World Cup spotlight, Kana entered the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest person to succeed in jumping over crowds.

She achieved this number after she reached 99 years and 274 days, during a concert in Texas, thanks to the efforts of her grandson, who seeks to make her “the best in the world.”

On the night of the World Cup, Grandma Kana was able to add an emotional page to her life record, and while Messi controlled the course of the game, this fan controlled the feelings of the fans across the Internet.

In reaction to the spontaneous snapshot, several famous sports accounts commented on social media platforms to highlight the long era that the fan lived through.

These accounts indicated that this 100-year-old woman lived through many prominent historical milestones, as her life witnessed many major events such as the sinking of the Titanic, World War II, and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

It also followed the course of the Korean War, the Cold War, the moment the Apollo 11 mission landed on the moon, in addition to the events of September 11.

On the technical level, it accompanied the launch of the first iPhone and the artificial intelligence revolution, while on the sporting level, it experienced the joy of Maradona being crowned champion of the World Cup, and returned to witness Messi winning the same tournament.