The World Cup 2026 qualifying match in South America was delayed for almost 30 minutes due to a scuffle between fans at the Maracana stadium. While waiting to play, Messi led his teammates back to the changing room as the captain of the Argentine team. Rodrygo was unhappy with this move by his opponent.
The Real Madrid superstar, Rodrigo De Paul, is currently engaging in a heated conversation with Messi. The tension between the two sides is palpable. Rodrygo speaks up, stating: “You guys are acting like cowards. Do you even want to play?”
Messi replied in a confident tone, “We are world champions, how could we be afraid? Watch your words, kid.” However, Rodrygo didn’t back down. The 22-year-old striker continued, “Well, let’s wait and see how the game goes. We’ll show you what we’re made of.” Messi responded, “Alright then. Let’s see. Let’s see.”
In the end, Argentina emerged victorious with a score of 1-0 thanks to a goal from defender Nicolas Otamendi. Messi didn’t leave much of an impression during the first half as he was closely marked by the Brazilian center-back duo of Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhaes. However, he had a greater impact on Argentina’s gameplay in the second half.
After the game, Messi criticized the Brazilian police for assaulting fans. He stated, “We have seen what security forces have done, as was the case during the Libertadores final. They focused more on that than on the match.” The Argentine captain referred to a similar incident of violence before the Fluminense vs Boca Juniors match at Maracana earlier this month.
After returning to the locker room to wait for the order to be restored, it seems that Argentina refused to return to the field until the South American Football Confederation CONMEBOL gave them a 15-minute deadline to do so. Messi and his teammates then accepted to go back on the field after more than 20 minutes in the dressing room.
“We went into the locker room because it was the best way to calm things down, as a potential disaster could have occurred. We are like a family. We decided to play in order to ease the tension,” Messi explained.