Many viewers believe the Inter Miami captain may have taken a swing at his former teammate during PSG’s dominant performance in the Club World Cup. ..Continue Reading
Messi’s side were thoroughly outplayed in a 4-0 defeat, with the Champions League winners racing ahead in the first half at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Argentine legend grew visibly frustrated as David Beckham’s MLS team struggled to create any real threat throughout the match.
Though Messi is rarely associated with aggressive behavior, some supporters were convinced he crossed the line in a heated clash with Vitinha.
The World Cup winner charged in to challenge the Portuguese midfielder, appearing to tug at his shirt.
He then made a low, seemingly harmless motion with his arm—before following it up with a more forceful swing at head height as Vitinha passed the ball.
Fortunately, the second motion didn’t appear to connect, and Vitinha turned around seemingly unaware of what had just occurred.
Fans online were quick to react, joking that Messi’s frustration had boiled over into a rare moment of petulance.
One wrote: “What the hell is Messi doing throwing a punch at Vitinha. This guy doesn’t know how to lose, what a poor sportsman.”
Another posted: “Bro, what did Vitinha do to Messi, to get him so bothered?”
Many asked more innocent questions like: “What was Messi trying to do?”
And a few fans suggested it looked worse than it really was for the Barcelona legend.
One wrote: “He commits this alleged assault and no one complains, not even Vitinha.”
Another added: “Aggression where Vitinha (supposedly attacked) doesn’t even complain, oh but the Twitter referees say it’s aggression hahaha.”
