A suicide bomber targeting Messi and storming Cristiano's hotel: leaked document reveals behind-the-scenes details

A leaked security file belonging to US police has revealed the scale of the serious threats that surrounded the World Cup, including terror attempts and death threats targeting the tournament's biggest stars and its referees.

The Argentina national team and its star Lionel Messi sat at the heart of those threats, according to a document reported by Britain's "The Sun" from the website Informacion.es. Before the Argentina versus Jordan match, a man called Dallas Airport and threatened to storm the stadium with two others carrying hand grenades and an AR-15 rifle. He vowed to attack police and the players of both teams, singling out Messi with a death threat.

The same scenario played out before Argentina versus Egypt. One of the suspects wrote on "X" that he would enter the Atlanta stadium and blow himself up with four bombs strapped to his body to target Messi. 

During that match, police received another call claiming three bombs sat inside the rubbish bins in the stands. It sparked a wide search involving explosives experts and detection dogs.

Cristiano Ronaldo was not spared either. One FIFA employee reported that a suspicious man had asked for details about where the Portuguese star was staying. Another fan stormed the player's hotel and tried to get into the lift with him, then claimed he only wanted a selfie when police stopped him.

Officials came under fire too. French referee François Letexier received more than 6,000 threatening messages via WhatsApp following his decisions in the Argentina versus Egypt match, while video referee Willy Delajod received death threats from angry Egyptian fans.

Players who missed decisive chances suffered the same. Norway's Alexander Sørloth and his wife received death threats after his failure to pass to Erling Haaland in the quarter-final against England, while Colombia's Jhon Jáminton Campaz faced the same fate after missing a penalty. He was not even able to return with his national team. 

The incidents recall the killing of Colombian defender Andrés Escobar in 1994 after he scored an own goal.

Elsewhere, Paraguay fans burned an effigy bearing Mbappé's name after the defeat to France, and the French star was subjected to racist chants, including an attack from a Paraguayan senator. South Korea received heavy protection after being knocked out in the group stage, and their coach Hong Myung-bo became the target of public anger that prompted police to investigate the procedures of his appointment.

England's media centre suffered a security breach when a man carrying a wrench entered while shouting. They turned it into a fortress, ringed by three security cordons, concrete barriers and anti-sniper screens. A no-fly zone kept out drone attacks, backed by a heavy deployment of armed police, in what was described as the most fortified edition of the World Cup ever.