Following hundreds of millions of other social media fans worldwide, Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has finally set up a Facebook page.

In contrast to his electronic peers, however, within just a few hours his page had attracted more than six million followers.

Such popularity warranted a speedy response from the 23-year-old Argentina international. “Welcome to everyone and thanks for all the messages you have been sending me. Now we shall be closer with Facebook,” said the two-time World Footballer of the Year, whose followers come from all corners of the globe.