diff --git a/spanner/value.go b/spanner/value.go
index 9d763be55719..3f806f8b7657 100644
--- a/spanner/value.go
+++ b/spanner/value.go
@@ -1265,6 +1265,15 @@ func decodeValue(v *proto3.Value, t *sppb.Type, ptr interface{}, opts ...DecodeO
 		acode = t.ArrayElementType.Code
 		atypeAnnotation = t.ArrayElementType.TypeAnnotation
 	}
+
+	if code == sppb.TypeCode_PROTO && reflect.TypeOf(ptr).Elem().Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
+		pve := reflect.ValueOf(ptr).Elem()
+		if pve.IsNil() {
+			pve.Set(reflect.New(pve.Type().Elem()))
+		}
+		ptr = pve.Interface()
+	}
+
 	_, isNull := v.Kind.(*proto3.Value_NullValue)
 
 	// Do the decoding based on the type of ptr.
diff --git a/spanner/value_test.go b/spanner/value_test.go
index 1c7902fbc9e1..95d12643c812 100644
--- a/spanner/value_test.go
+++ b/spanner/value_test.go
@@ -1982,6 +1982,14 @@ func TestDecodeValue(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{desc: "decode ENUM to protoreflect.Enum", proto: protoEnumProto(pb.Genre_ROCK), protoType: protoEnumType(protoEnumfqn), want: singerEnumValue},
 		{desc: "decode PROTO to NullProto", proto: protoMessageProto(&singerProtoMsg), protoType: protoMessageType(protoMessagefqn), want: NullProtoMessage{&singerProtoMsg, true}},
+		{desc: "decode PROTO to *pb.SingerInfo", proto: protoMessageProto(&singerProtoMsg), protoType: protoMessageType(protoMessagefqn),
+			want: &pb.SingerInfo{
+				SingerId:    proto.Int64(1),
+				BirthDate:   proto.String("January"),
+				Nationality: proto.String("Country1"),
+				Genre:       &singerEnumValue,
+			},
+		},
 		{desc: "decode NULL to NullProto", proto: nullProto(), protoType: protoMessageType(protoMessagefqn), want: NullProtoMessage{}},
 		{desc: "decode ENUM to NullEnum", proto: protoEnumProto(pb.Genre_ROCK), protoType: protoEnumType(protoEnumfqn), want: NullProtoEnum{&singerEnumValue, true}},
 		{desc: "decode NULL to NullEnum", proto: nullProto(), protoType: protoEnumType(protoEnumfqn), want: NullProtoEnum{}},