Lionel Messi admits he played through injury in 2026 World Cup qualifier vs Brazil as Argentina captain accuses police of 'beating people' during ugly pre-match scenes

Authorities responded violently to reported booing by Albiceleste supporters of the Brazilian national anthem, prompting a reaction which even saw goalkeeper Emi Martinez try to get involved. The Argentina players then decided to return to the dressing room, leading to a 30-minute delay before the restart. Messi revealed this was a deliberate tactic, as his players were affected by the ugly scenes at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium.

Asked by TyC Sports about the brutal reaction from police before the match, the Albiceleste skipper responded: "Obviously, how bad. We saw how they were hitting people, as happened in the final of the Libertadores, again repressing people with batons. There were players who had families there. You think about your family, you don't really know what is happening and you are more focused on that than on playing a game. We saw how they were beating people, something awful could have happened. When everything calmed down we decided to go inside, ask how the relatives were, find out a little about everything. Then we went out."

The 36-year-old lasted 78 minutes before being brought off for Angel Di Maria, and he hinted that this was due to a knock he had been playing through all game, adding: "[It was] an adductor discomfort. It was my last game [in 2023], I have time to get well and start the year with everything. I'm going to prepare to have a great year, have a great preseason and start from scratch."

Despite all the noise ahead of the feisty encounter, Messi and Co. held their nerve and saw out a narrow 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from Nicolas Otamendi. Lionel Scaloni's side therefore cement their place at the top of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying table, consigning Brazil to a dismal sixth-place standing. Despite such a significant victory, though, Scaloni appeared to question his future at the helm after full time.

As he alluded to in his post-match interview, the Argentina and Inter Miami star has played his last game for a significant time, meaning he now enjoys a rest period ahead of a return to MLS action next year. It remains to be seen whether a friendly against eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr is still on the cards, after Miami refuted such arrangements on Tuesday.