The reaction of the kids when they saw Lionel Messi is so wholesome, it was a priceless moment

Lionel Messi was adorably swamped by young mascots during the pre-match of Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League clash against Maccabi Haifa.

The children were starstruck and dumbfounded when they spotted Messi ahead of PSG's 3-1 win on Wednesday.

The kids broke formation and couldn't hold their excitement as they hilariously ambushed the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.

One of the mascots blew kisses to Messi and another left her position to hug the Argentine superstar.

In total, the video shows four of the mascots going in for a hug with Messi, who was modest and humble as he returned the love.

If that wasn't enough, the forward was also hugged by a fan who ran onto the pitch.

The footage of the mascots hugging Messi sent social media wild.

One Twitter user wrote: "Those kids will never forget this moment."

A second tweeted: "Nobody got this much juice but Messi."

A third added: "One reason why they call it the Beautiful Game."

Another commented: "To be fair I think that would be my reaction and I'm a Real Madrid fan and a grown ass man."

Messi was as influential as ever in PSG's win as he scored to cancel out the hosts' opener and set up Kylian Mbappe.

In scoring against Maccabi, the 35-year-old became the first player in history to score in 18 consecutive Champions League seasons.

Messi continues to enjoy a brilliant start to the season as his team resume their league campaign on Sunday against Lyon.