Lionel Messi's son - Mateo - is caught throwing gum into a crowd of fans at the World Cup

Lionel Messi's son - Mateo - was caught on video throwing a lollipop at fans during a World Cup game this week.

The Messi family were present for Argentina's 2-1 win over Australia in the round of 16, where the PSG forward was on hand to score the opening goal for his nation.

However, there was chaos in the stands as Messi's middle child was seen throwing a lollipop into the crowd that had gathered below the family.

In the video, Messi's wife - Antonela Roccuzzo - can be seen sitting and smiling with two of her children.

Standing next to her is Mateo, who is the middle child of Messi's three sons.  He quickly goes to grab the remains of his lollipop before being restrained by his mother.

However, moments later, the seven-year-old did manage to throw the lollipop into the crowd, to his mother's disappointment.

Roccuzzo quickly gives her son a telling off and orders for him to step away from the barrier, which he does.

Though she didn't find the situation amusing, a number of fans have flocked to social media to praise the seven-year-old's 'funny' actions.

'Pls he’s so funny', one fan wrote. They added a crying emoji at the end to indicate the hilarity of the situation.

'He is not real', another wrote, with the same emojis accompanying the message.

'That boy is Argentine from head to toe!', one user wrote.

The actions of Mateo seem to have followed closely from his younger brother Ciro, who was also given a telling off by his mother during the tournament in Qatar.

Four-year-old Ciro Messi was pictured jumping on top of the seats and spotted running in the suite section at Stadium 974 on Wednesday, according to Argentine news outlet TN.

The excitement demonstrated by the youngest of Messi's three children - all boys - prior to the clash with Poland was enough to draw a death stare from his mother.

Roccuzzo could then be seen gesturing at Ciro in an attempt to get him to behave before order was restored.

The family eventually settled down and cheered on as Messi and Argentina defeated Poland 2-0 and advanced to the knockout stage.

The Messi family have been present to watch their father's impressive performances in the World Cup so far.

Messi has registered three goals and one assists from his four games so far. He managed to score his first ever World Cup knockout round goal against Australia on Saturday.

The 35-year-old will be hoping to add to his tally when his side face Holland in the quarter-finals of the competition on Friday.