Gruda's lucky shot while wearing Messi's shoes

Brajan Gruda’s lucky shot wasn’t a fluke. His spectacular curling shot in RB Leipzig’s 1-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven was one of those unstoppable goals, even though it was slightly deflected by Ivan Perisic. After all, the goal-scorer was wearing special soccer cleats. “I was hoping they’d give me a little extra energy,” Gruda said with a smile, explaining: “These cleats are just a dream—Messi shaped my entire childhood. I’m a huge fan. I don’t just put them in the closet—I actually wear them myself,” said the 22-year-old.

Gruda is among the select group of players chosen by Argentina’s superstar Lionel Messi to wear the limited-edition “F50 Messi El Último Tango” model—of which only 208 pairs exist worldwide. 

Demichelis: “You’re finally back”

Immediately after scoring his goal, Gruda—who was also named “Man of the Match”—was substituted by coach Martín Demichelis to manage his workload. As he did so, the Argentine coach hugged him and whispered in his ear: “You’re finally back.” 

And national team player Ridle Baku praised him: “That kid has a lot, a lot of potential.” Gruda had to sit out recently due to an abdominal muscle injury. As a result, he was also unable to travel with the national team. “It’s frustrating. But there’s one thing Jürgen Klopp said that stuck with me. Postponed is not canceled. If I perform well, the chance will come again,” said Gruda.