This is the impressive moment robots played football - and even performed butted heads like their human counterparts.

Crowds were amused to witness the performances of two robot football teams from Tsinghua University and China Agricultural University at Shandong Agriculture and Engineering University in Jinan, China, on December 9.

Footage shows four machines in a two-versus-two game, kicking the ball towards the goal net. They then seemed to clash and have an on-field brawl just like temperamental Premier Lague stars have.

One of the robots even fell to the ground but had a mechanism to stand on its own without any assistance.

Human and animal robots are being developed in several countries, with China and the United States leading the 'tech arms race.'

A military-style robot dog was even seen protecting President-Elect Donald Trump in Florida earlier this month.

Meanwhile, in Texas, Elon Musk's Tesla hopes to have its version of a humanoid robot, called Optimus, available for sale in 2026.

Musk—who played a prominent role in the recent US election victory of Donald Trump—recently presented Optimus, describing it as a multi-functional assistant capable of handling household chores, playing with children, and assisting with various repetitive tasks.

Lionel Messi is an Argentine soccer player who has won many awards and is considered one of the best players of all time. Messi helped Argentina win the 2022 FIFA World Cup and won an Olympic gold medal in 2008. He scored over 850 goals for club and country.