Former Leeds star Raphinha attempted to stoke tensions between fierce rivals Brazil and Argentina ahead of Tuesday evening’s meeting and has been made to look slightly foolish
Lionel Messi became the latest to take aim at Raphinha for his X-rated comments after Argentina’s thumping of Brazil. The two fierce rivals came together in Buenos Aires on Tuesday evening in World Cup qualification.
And the reigning champions secured a thumping victory. Julian Alvarez gave Argentina the perfect start, with Enzo Fernandez doubling the advantage.
Wolves star Matheus Cunha pulled a goal back for Brazil before further strikes from Alexis Mac Allister and Gio Simeone. And Messi – who was ruled out of the international break with an injury – made sure to make his feelings on the thumping be known.
Taking to social media, the Inter Miami star wrote: “In, out, I’ll follow this team anywhere. We always talk with our football. Congratulations on the great match last night and also for the victory against Uruguay.”
READ MORE: Emi Martinez and Argentina stars repeat infamous Kylian Mbappe chant to mock RaphinhaREAD MORE: Argentina star destroys Real Madrid’s Rodrygo with brutal response to ‘terrible’ jibe
Messi’s comments come after former Leeds and current Barcelona star Raphinha had livened up the rivalry, with some less than complimentary comments. Speaking to Brazil icon Romario, the winger said: “We are going to beat them up on and off the pitch if necessary. I am going to score. They can s*** themselves!”
Raphinha continued: “In Argentina, you have to hit them, it hurts! They’re b*******.” Romario then added to the war of words, as he asked Raphinha: “F*** them?”, to which the Barcelona man emphatically replied: “F*** them.”
Messi was not the only one to share his thoughts after his nation’s thumping win. Asked about Raphinha’s comments, World Cup winning coach Lionel Scaloni was not as ruthless.
Who will win the 2026 World Cup? Share your predictions in the comments below
He said: “I excuse Raphinha because I know he didn’t do it on purpose. He’s defending his country and I’m sure he didn’t want to offend anyone. Brazil will always be Brazil, it’s a difficult time for them but they will return.”
But his players were not so diplomatic. Goalscorer Alvarez said: “Obviously that manner of speaking adds some spice to a match like this.Thanks to our humility and work we played a great match. We danced around them.”
Midfielder Leandro Paredes was also not particularly happy. He added: “You shouldn’t talk about it beforehand, you shouldn’t say these kinds of things when you can’t back it up on the pitch. When he said that, we sent it to the WhatsApp group and we discussed it. Whenever this kind of thing happens, we stand up for ourselves on the pitch.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
