WATCH: Messi Swaps Shirts With Chapecoense Plane Crash Survivor Alan Ruschel
Lionel Messi made a Chapecoense plane crash survivor's night by swapping his famous shirt with him following Barcelona's beautiful tribute match with them at the Nou Camp.
Last year's La Liga runners-up had extended a special invitation to the Brazilian club to face them in the Joan Gamper Trophy.
Chapecoense were rocked by tragedy last year when the plane that was carrying their squad to the Copa Sudamerica final to face Colombian side Atletico Nacional crashed and killed 19 players and staff.
The club had to sign 25 new players for the upcoming season, which included nine promotions from their youth ranks, and many of those were on display in an emotionally-charged exhibition match against Barcelona.
The Blaugrana won 5-0 thanks to goals from Gerard Deulofeu, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Denis Suarez and a thunderbolt from Sergio Busquets.
The result, of course, was irrelevant and instead the focus was on the show of humanity and togetherness in the face of tragedy.
There were some heartfelt moments from the game, including Messi swapping shirts with captain and crash survivor Alan Ruschel, who received a standing ovation from the players and fans when he was later substituted off, and amputee goalkeeper Jackson Follman given the chance to kick the game off in a truly heart-warming gesture.
