Barack Obama: 'My daughters want to meet Lionel Messi'

United States president Barack Obama has revealed that his daughters are desperate to meet Barcelona attacker and current Ballon d'Or holder Lionel Messi.

Obama, who spoke during a visit to Argentina, has claimed that his two teenage daughters Malia and Sasha are fans of the Barcelona forward and have the 28-year-old in their sights.

"My daughters met Pope Francis. And now they want to meet Messi, but I still haven't been able to set it up," Barcelona's official website quotes the US president as saying.

Messi has scored 449 times in 520 appearances for Barcelona and has helped the Spanish club win seven La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies since 2004.