Read 3 minutes4 Jul 2026 05:19 PM IST
After giving Cape Verde Argentina is an almighty fear Lionel Messi praised the players making their World Cup debuts after the tournament, before losing 3-2 in extra-time in the tight round of 32. As he posed for photos with the Cape Verdean players after the match, the normally downcast Messi even joked that his opponents had taken the crap out of him during the match and were now asking for selfies and his jersey.”
“They asked for my jersey, everything. On the field, they beat the crap out of me,” Messi was quoted as saying by Goal.com, citing Tisci Sports.
A goal and an assist from Messi, including the game-winner off a corner kick midway through the second half of extra time, saved Argentina from the biggest upset in World Cup history.
La belleza del fútbol cuando se juega limpio.
Los jugadores de Cabo Verde waited for the departure of Messi to take pictures.
Y Messi Bromia: “en la cancha me cagan a patadas y después me piden fotos… Jajaj noooo, mentira” 😂
Grandes Jugadores and Grandes Personas. pic.twitter.com/BbdKvj3fXf
— Rodolfo Asar (@rodolfoasar) 4 July 2026
“Well, to be honest, we knew this match was going to be very difficult. It’s not a coincidence that this team didn’t lose to Spain or Uruguay,” Messi said after his man of the match award.
Messi’s goal was the 20th of his World Cup career, extending his own record and moving him two past France’s Kylian Mbappé on the all-time list.
Reflecting on the game, Messi added, “We did the hardest thing, which was the first goal. We thought we would find our rhythm after that and be more relaxed, but it was completely the opposite.
“Sometimes we lost possession, we sat back a bit, and we couldn’t press them effectively. They used their strength to attack. We knew it would be difficult. This is knockout football and nobody gives you anything for free.
“Some might dismiss certain teams based on their names, but we knew it wasn’t going to be easy at all. That’s the nature of this World Cup. Everything is very even, very complicated and every match is incredibly difficult.”