Lionel Messi’s Argentina national team speech has caused a stir as numerous conspiracy theories surfaced after the World Cup final.
Lionel Messi hinted at Argentina’s pre-match problems in his speech to teammates before the World Cup final (Image: TyC Sports)
Leaked footage of Lionel Messi’s bizarre pre-match speech has sparked conspiracy theories over potential distractions for Argentina’s players during the World Cup final.
Lionel Scaloni’s side were unable to get the glove against Spain at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, and despite defending valiantly, the 2022 champions were unable to get a shot on target until late in extra time. A number of theories have surfaced as to why their performance was poor, the latest of which suggests there was a major problem right before the start of the match.
Fresh footage from inside the tunnel supported those claims and also provided further evidence that Scaloni said happened before the final. As the Argentina players emerged from the locker room, Messi was filmed saying: “Come on guys, let’s forget what happened. As if nothing happened.”
Lisandro Martinez and Enzo Fernandes, who are in the background of the video, also appear visibly shaken. The latter was sent off for his final knock in normal time, while Martinez was sent off with an injury during the first half.
The X account @arielipillo, which has 80,000 followers, claims he became emotional and distracted during a surprise anti-doping test shortly before the start of the match.
However, the post was accompanied by a community note clarifying that FIFA’s anti-doping controls are carried out after matches, not before.
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Cameras also captured comments from Messi and Emiliano Martinez as the players headed out for the second half.
According to Via Sport, Argentina’s captain said: “Come on, players. Individuality, people, individuality. We always had it, so why don’t we have it now? We have the character to play. And with all our heart, players.” Martinez added: “With all my heart, players.” Move forward, not backwards…Only cowards play backwards.
In addition to the bizarre behavior, some Argentine players were also humiliated by their own actions after the loss to Spain. Leandro Parade was involved in a scuffle with Gabi and Eric Garcia, and Nahuel Molina and assistant coach Roberto Ayala appeared to throw punches.
Top Shot – Argentina national team midfielder #05 Leandro Paredes (top) and Spain national team midfielder #09 Gabi clash during the 2026 Soccer World Cup soccer tournament final match between Spain and Argentina at New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026 (Photo by CHARLY) TRIBALLEU/AFP via Getty Images)
The former has made a number of statements following the final defeat, with Messi making a particularly heartfelt public declaration.
“The pain is immense. It will take time for this wound to heal. But I also choose to hold on to all the good, and all the matches I turned around by giving everything and moments that will be remembered forever.”
“I will always remember the work and efforts of this group, as well as the support of the whole country, which has brought us back among the best teams in the world. I would also like to congratulate Spain on winning the World Cup.”
“It’s difficult to assess what we achieved today… but this group truly reached the World Cup final for the second year in a row. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the greetings and all the messages. Once again we were able to come together as a country, to stand together and to share the immense pride of being Argentinians.”
