Lionel Messi appears to throw punch at Vitinha as Inter Miami star accused of being a 'poor sportsman' in Club World Cup defeat to PSG

Messi was accused of poor sportsmanship in the last-16 clash when PSG star Vitinha easily glided away from him and kept possession, with the Argentina international then seemingly reacting with a flailed arm towards his former team-mate.

Fans were quick to condemn Messi. ESnomanu wrote on X: "What the hell is Messi doing throwing a punch at Vitinha. This guy doesn't know how to lose, what a poor sportsman."

Alexandre Carvalho said: "I recognise a man adrift, who doesn’t like to see a player he dislikes become a top player."

Antimonoveneco added: "Vitinha gave Messi a masterclass today."

TalkinMadrid posted: "Bro, what did Vitinha do to Messi, to get him so bothered? 😭"

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Thankfully, the feud seemed to be put to bed pretty quickly as the pair were spotted embracing at the final whistle, with PSG posting the image on their official social media accounts.

Messi and Vitinha reportedly fell out during their time together at PSG, though Vitinha himself later came out to deny those claims. The Portugal international has thrived with the French giants over the past year or so, becoming a key part of Luis Enrique's starting XI and helping them claim a treble in 2024-25.

Messi and Inter Miami will return to MLS duties following their elimination from the Club World Cup. PSG, meanwhile will take on the winners of the game between Bayern Munich and Flamengo in the quarter-finals.