Before relocating to the United States, Joseph Gormley had no experience with painting. However, his artistic creations are now displayed in the residence of a World Cup champion located in Florida.

Lionel Messi has the potential to transform his luxurious new home in Florida into an exceptional museum dedicated to football. The collection would comprise of his World Cup winner’s medals, four Champions League medals, 11 league titles won in Spain and France, seven Ballon d’Or awards, six Golden shoes, and 15 Argentine Player of the Year trophies. It would also display a vast range of shirts from some of the greatest football players of all time. However, the most recent addition to this prestigious collection comes in the form of a painting created by Joseph Gormley, a janitor from Larbert. Lionel Messi’s sons, Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro, were drawn to a canvas featuring their father during his debut for new club Inter Miami. The painting had been passed on to the Barcelona star’s new neighbour, who was a friend of 48-year-old Gormley.

The offspring of the Argentine football legend opted to retain one of the artworks painted by Scottish janitor and artist, Ronnie Joseph, for their new abode in Fort Lauderdale. Messi, who recently transferred to the MLS team from Paris Saint-Germain, has signed three of Joseph’s paintings, which will be auctioned with the proceeds being donated to local schools and a university in the Fort Lauderdale vicinity. Joseph explained that one of his friends is an art collector, and her best friend happens to be the soccer star’s neighbor. She took the paintings to Messi’s home, and the footballer and his children were pleased with them. Although Joseph offered to create a family portrait, Messi’s children were satisfied with the artwork they picked. For Joseph, a simple janitor from Larbert, having his artwork hanging in the residence of the notable football player was surreal.

Messi received a set of paintings from his new neighbour, Joseph, who only discovered his talent for painting 11 years ago when he was gifted an art set for Christmas. Since then, he has collaborated with notable personalities such as Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neill, and Steven Tyler. Initially, Joseph painted the then-manager of Celtic, Neil Lennon, and sold the portrait to pay for medical expenses of a sick child. Overall, his artworks have raised more than $300,000 for various local organizations, and he aims to hit $1 million before retiring from painting. Joseph’s wife gave him the paint set since he was a terrible fisherman. He painted four portraits of Messi in Miami shirts, one of which he kept while the others were given to the family, a high school in Ft Lauderdale, and the Florida Gators University to raise funds for women’s health.

Prior to his relocation to the US, Joseph had never dabbled in painting. However, he now works as a janitor at a local elementary school and has taken up the art form. Presently, he is working on a portrait of Messi donning an Argentina jersey and has been encouraging locals such as police officers, firefighters, and some celebrities to contribute to it. His intention is to gift this masterpiece to Messi on behalf of the people of Florida.

Even though Joseph had no prior painting experience, his charitable work has deeply impacted the Florida community following the 2018 Parklands High School shooting. He gifted several paintings to the families of the 17 individuals who lost their lives in the attack. This event brought back painful memories from his tenure as a porter at the former Falkirk Royal Infirmary during the Dunblane school shooting, which occurred 22 years ago. He now spends time with his daughters, Hailey (7) and McKenzie Rose (5), while cleaning classrooms. Joseph noted that there are similarities between the community’s response to both incidents.

Joseph plans to donate two of his paintings to support a local high school and university. He finds it amusing that he works as a janitor at an elementary school, just like Groundskeeper Willie. Joseph considers his job as a way to remain humble. Although he has painted with Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neill, and Steven Tyler, he still enjoys cleaning classrooms and mopping up after kids. He believes that working in these situations has allowed him to see things that made him appreciate life more. In both cases, the community showed their support, which inspired Joseph in the same way that Andy Murray reclaimed Dunblane. He hopes that someone from Parklands will also achieve great things in life. He feels that he is doing his part in inspiring others by having one of his paintings hanging in Messi’s house. If he can encourage even one person to pick up a paintbrush, then it is worth all the effort.