Fans find out Lionel Messi was eating at Buenos Aires restaurant last night, the scenes outside were insane

Lionel Messi and his family decided to go out for dinner at a restaurant in Buenos Aires on Monday night – and hundreds, if not thousands, of fans gathered outside to catch a glimpse of the World Cup winner.

The 35-year-old forward returned to Argentina this week ahead of their international friendlies against Panama and Curacao.

And he wasted no time in visiting Don Julio – a restaurant in Palermo, a neighborhood in Buenos Aires – with his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and kids.

Soon though, he may well have regretted his decision to go out after word spread of his arrival. Maybe he should have just ordered from Deliveroo.

Locals flocked outside the building in Palermo and when he eventually left the building, Messi was well and truly mobbed by those in attendance.

As you can see from the footage above, a surge of people either tried to get a selfie with the PSG forward or get a glimpse. Either way, things got quite scary at one stage.

Don Julio, meanwhile, was rated one of the world's best restaurants in 2021, so it's no surprise Messi wanted to enjoy a trip to the famous steakhouse.

"The spike that owner is about to experience in sales." one fan commented on Twitter. "For the rest of the restaurant's existence, just put a sign board: 'Messi ate here. 2023'."

Last year, following Argentina's success at the World Cup in Qatar, a video of Messi arriving at his niece's 15th birthday party in his hometown of Rosario went viral.

The footage, first shared by Telenoche Rosario, shows Messi arriving at the birthday party of his young niece in an SUV. However, waiting for him patiently were hordes of football fans, all eager to meet the former Barcelona man.

Many of the attendees could be heard on the video chanting "dale campeon" - or "lets go champion".

It took Messi, who was in the driver's seat, a good while to clear the adoring crowds, who surrounded his car to get as close as they could to their idol.

It's fair to say going out in public, especially in his homeland of Argentina, is a difficult task for the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.