Lionel Messi has jokingly poked fun at Cape Verde’s physical style of play after Argentina survived a spirited challenge to seal a 3-2 victory and progress in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Argentine captain, who scored his 20th career World Cup goal in the entertaining contest in Miami on Friday, shared warm moments with several Cape Verde players after the final whistle. Despite the intense battle on the pitch, the Cape Verde stars queued to request his jersey and pose for photographs, a gesture Messi happily accepted.
Reflecting on the encounter, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner laughed about the contrast between the fierce tackles during the match and the admiration shown afterwards.
“They asked for my jersey, everything… On the field, they kick the crap out of me,” Messi joked, as quoted by TyC Sports.
Messi also highlighted Argentina’s growing effectiveness from dead-ball situations, saying the team’s work on set-pieces is beginning to produce results.
“We’ve been working on it for a while, both offensively and defensively. In a competition like this, it’s important.”
Despite securing qualification, the veteran forward admitted Argentina were far from their best after taking the lead, noting that the team struggled to maintain control of the game.
“We lost possession, we sat back, we couldn’t press effectively,” he said.
The victory sends Argentina into the next stage of the tournament, where they will face Egypt, who advanced after defeating Australia in a penalty shootout.
Messi’s goal also marked another landmark in his illustrious international career, taking his World Cup tally to 20 goals.
