Kim Kardashian has faced backlash after her eight-year-old son Saint was given the privilege of stepping out as Lionel Messi’s pet on Sunday.
The reality TV star’s eldest son with ex-husband and rapper Kanye West held Messi’s hand as they walked onto the field ahead of the MLS clash between Inter Miami and LA Galaxy.
The business mogul shared a clip of her soccer-obsessed son taking the field with the legend from X, formerly known as Twitter.
‘Saint bringing Messi onto the field tonight in the LA Galaxy vs Inter Miami match!!!’ the 43-year-old wrote. ‘He’s living the absolute dream!’
However, the moment sparked criticism, with many social media users accusing Kardashian of taking away opportunities from less fortunate children.
Kim Kardashian has faced backlash after her son Saint stopped being Lionel Messi’s pet.
The eight-year-old held Messi’s hand before Inter Miami’s 1-1 draw against LA Galaxy
However, many accused Kardashian of taking away opportunities from less fortunate children.
“It would be great if some really deserving kid got that chance,” one user posted. “Not someone who was incredibly lucky to be born to billionaires.”
“Talk about privilege,” another added in the response to Kardashian’s post. “I hope he can kick the ball.”
Meanwhile, others suggested Kardashian had paid for her son to have the opportunity.
‘Money can buy happiness. Debate closed,’ wrote one, while another added: ‘Tell the truth how much that cost.’
One account chimed in: ‘Whoever said money isn’t everything was lying. Even Messi can be bought.”
Others echoed his thoughts with comments such as: “What money can buy” and “Look what money does.”
However, others were quick to defend Saint, insisting that he is allowed to fulfill his dream of meeting his football hero as much as any other child.
The reality TV star faced backlash for sharing a clip of the moment on social media.
Some social media users suggested that she had paid for her son to have the opportunity
“Saint is a great football fan and has always loved it very much and that makes him extremely deserving,” one posted. ‘Do you think having a family and resources that make it possible and available to him makes him less deserving? “That is very short-sighted thinking.”
Another added: ‘Any kid who is a FAN deserves it! What are you talking about? He is a boy and a great soccer fan. Why would his parents’ finances make him any less worthy of this moment? You do not make sense.’
‘Why does he deserve it less because his parents are rich?’ asked another as they responded to the criticism.
“That child simply knows that he loves football and that Messi is his hero. Like any other child his age with “normal” parents. This narrative is very tired.”
Kardashian has made no secret of Saint’s passion for the sport, with the star branding herself a “soccer mom” in December. She shared a snap of her dinner at PF Chang’s, showing eight Saint football cards placed on the table.
Others were quick to jump to Saint’s defense, insisting that he be allowed to fulfill his dream.
“What dinner is like as a soccer mom,” she captioned the photo. Among the collectibles was a Topps Merlin Chrome UEFA Ageless Alchemy 2022-23 card, featuring former Brazilian footballer Roberto Carlos.
Kardashian has often been photographed attending her son’s games, and even took her ‘football-obsessed’ son to several professional games last year.
For his eighth birthday, Saint celebrated his birthday with a soccer-themed party, with his cake shaped like a giant-sized soccer ball. Kim transformed the backyard of her $60 million mansion into a soccer player’s paradise.
Saint and his friends ran around the backyard, which was filled with several bounce houses, as well as facilities that helped them work on their soccer skills, such as kicking and scoring goals.
Kim has often been photographed attending her eight-year-old son’s games and even took her ‘football-obsessed’ son to several professional games this year; seen at his game in may
While Kim used to play soccer at school, her interest in the sport has been intensified by Saint’s love of the game (pictured with Saint).
All party guests also received a unique gift: a white Adidas soccer jersey with “Best in the West” on the front and Saint’s name and number eight on the back.
Saint also paid tribute to his sporting hero Neymar on his birthday by getting a new hairstyle to imitate one of his favorite players.
In October, the youngster had his curls chopped into Neymar’s signature mohawk before dressing up as a ‘zombie’ version of the Brazilian player for Halloween.
Taking things a step further this month, Saint dyed the top portion of his locks bright blonde to mimic the footballer’s signature style.