Meet Messi the dog that stole the show at the Oscars with Robert Downey Jr. and Ryan Gosling

The 96th Academy Awards yielded several iconic moments Ryan Gosling's legendary "I'm Just Ken" performance, Emma Stone's ripped gown, John Cena's naked presenting. But an audience member that made his presence known, shining brighter than all the stars in the room, was Messi, the Border Collie attendee who became a crowd and internet favorite.

The canine starred in one of the year's Best Picture nominees

    The 96th Academy Awards yielded several iconic moments – Ryan Gosling's legendary "I'm Just Ken" performance, Emma Stone's ripped gown, John Cena's naked presenting.

    But an audience member that made his presence known, shining brighter than all the stars in the room, was Messi, the Border Collie attendee who became a crowd and internet favorite.

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    Messi starred in one of this year's Best Picture nominees

    No, Messi wasn't just some heartfelt stunt-casting choice, he was actually one of the pivotal stars of Best Picture nominee , which also took home Best Original Screenplay.

    Messi plays Snoop, a dog that serves as the viewpoint for the audience and some of the main characters, and even [spoiler alert] gets poisoned during the film.

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    Director and Oscar-winning writer Justine Triet told IndieWire about Messi's involvement: "I didn't want to look at [Snoop] like an accessory. He's a real character."

    He got the support of the Best Supporting Actor nominees

    While the pup was proving to quickly be a social media darling with his appearances during the live telecast, he came alive during the Best Supporting Actor presentation.

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    When Robert Downey Jr. was awarded the prize, his first Oscar ever, for his turn in Oppenheimer, after his speech, Messi was seen clapping for the star (with the help of a pair of cleverly placed fake paws).

    The camera then cut to Ryan, who was nominated in the category and lost, whose face immediately lit up when he saw the dog on the big screen.

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    Fans reacted with enthusiasm over the pup's frequent on-screen appearances, leaving comments on social media along the lines of: "We need a best animal actor category asap," and: "He is robbed for not being nominated," as well as: "He's a better actor than some people at this ceremony ngl."

    Messi peed on a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

    After the show, the Oscar nominee was recruited as part of a gag by host Jimmy Kimmel to continue his "feud" with friend and actor Matt Damon.

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    After the late night host said his goodbyes to the audience and viewers, the telecast cut to a clip of Messi with his leg raised in the air, waiting to pee on Matt's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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    The clip served as Jimmy's latest dig at the star, part of their TV battle of wits that has lasted for a few years now, and was made even funnier thanks to being soundtracked by an orchestral version of "Dance the Night."

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