Was Messi Targeted by a Spitting Incident ? – Watch

Lionel Messi came on in the early stages of the second half in the Argentina-Paraguay (1-0) match during the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, and it seems it wasn’t without reason.

It’s alleged that Paraguayan player Antonio Sanabria spat at Messi. In response, Messi stated, « In the locker room, they told me someone spat at me, but the truth is I don’t even know who that guy is. I didn’t see anything, but I don’t want to give importance to this thing, or else it will make him famous, so it’s better to leave it at that. »

Antonio Sanabria countered by saying, « What’s happening is that on the footage, you only see it from behind, and it looks like I’m spitting at him. But that’s not true. »