Messi spat at in duel with Paraguay? The Argentine idol made a surprising comment on the whole situation

Argentina played its third World Cup qualifier on Friday, with Lionel Messi as a substitute. He almost made his mark among the scorers, but more to the point is another situation he found himself in during the match.

The best footballer in history hasn’t played much in recent weeks, and it has had a noticeable effect on Inter Miami’s results. In short, Lionel Messi in the lineup makes a huge difference. Rightfully so, he is the second highest paid player in the world in 2023.

However, the Barcelona legend and world champion was not absent from Argentina’s nomination ahead of the current national break and also appeared in the World Cup qualifying match against Paraguay on Friday.

The duel was decided by defender Nicolas Otamendi’s goal in the third minute. Messi only took the field in the second act, specifically in the 53rd minute, replacing striker Julian Álvarez.

The winner of seven Ballon d’Ors managed to do a lot in the time he was on the pitch. He almost scored from a direct kick, but unfortunately for Argentina, his shot only hit the bar. Some of his actions were downright humiliating for the Paraguayan players.

Was Messi spat at?

But the most talked about is his dispute with Antonio Sanabria. The latter is said to have spat at the Argentine idol, although he denies it. However, a video circulating on the internet clearly shows the spitting. The accuracy of this is disputed.

Messi himself did not react to it in any significant way at that moment, he just turned to Sanabria and said something to him. What? Unfortunately, we don’t know. However, journalists asked the Argentine about the whole situation after the match.

“My teammates told me that someone spat at me. The truth is I don’t even know who the guy (Sanabria) is,” Messi expressed. Yet Sanabria was a member of Barcelona’s youth teams from 2009 to 2013.

The Argentina star didn’t want to make a big deal out of the whole situation, nor is he eager to talk about it too much. On Wednesday, he will play another match with his national teammates in Peru.

Source: AS.com, Twitter, Roy Nemer, Transfermarkt