Lionel Messi may not have been on the field with his Argentina teammates in person, but he was there in spirit, watching on from afar as they sealed their 2026 FIFA World Cup berth with a decisive 4-1 win against Brazil.
The game had been an emotional affair, thanks in no small part to Brazil’s Raphina, who added an extra touch of motivation for their opponents with some bold claims in an interview with soccer icon Romario. “We will beat them, no doubt. On and off the pitch, if we have to,” the Barcelona star said.
If this wasn’t bad enough, Raphina was insistent that he would score, telling Romario, “Yes, with everything…” prompting the 59-year-old to bizarrely reply “F--- them,” to which Raphina agreed, as per TalkSport.
Of course, Raphina didn’t end up making his mark on the scoresheet, with Argentinian players making sure to tell him exactly what they thought of his comments after the final whistle in a tense on-field exchange.
As for Messi, he took the high road on his Instagram Story, commenting, “Inside, outside, wherever with this National Team. Always talking about football. Congratulations on the great game you played last night and also on the win against Uruguay.”
Messi was forced to miss both the Brazil and Uruguay games after suffering a minor hip injury in Inter Miami’s recent 2-1 win at Atlanta United. The game marked the Argentine’s first time back in the starting 11 in almost three weeks.
Head coach Javier Mascherano repeatedly insisted Messi had not been dealing with an injury during his absence, and explained that they simply wanted to manage the load on the 37-year-old’s shoulders ahead of what will be a congested season for Miami. Messi ultimately made his return to action in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, coming off the bench in Jamaica as they beat Cavalier 2-0 with the Barcelona legend scoring in the 92nd minute.
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Exactly when Messi will make his Miami comeback once again remains unclear, however, he was spotted participating in warm-ups during his side’s training session on Tuesday perhaps leaving the door open for a swift return.
As for his international return, Messi’s next shot at earning his 192nd cap for Argentina will come in early June with Lionel Scaloni’s side scheduled to head for Chile on the 4th before a home game against Ecuador five days later in their latest World Cup Qualifiers.
As for Scaloni, following Tuesday’s win, he publicly forgave Raphina for his comments as he believed “he didn’t do it on purpose, he’s defending his country,” as per Fabrizio Romano. “I’m completely sure he didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” Scaloni added, going on to say, “We didn’t play like this because of that.”
Whatever it was that motivated the reigning world champions, it helped them become just the seventh team to secure qualification for the 2026 tournament in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. There, Scaloni’s side will look to become the first team since Brazil in 1958/1962 to win back to back titles.