‘Old school controversy’ Messi criticizes those born in 2001, saying, “Treat me like a senior”… turns out to be Lee Kang-in’s classmate
Lionel Messi (36-Argentina) urges Manuel Ugarte (22-Uruguay) to “respect your superiors.”
The Argentina national football team lost 0-2 to Uruguay in their fifth South American qualifying match for the FIFA Confederations Cup North America 2026 at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sunday (June 17). It was the first defeat for Argentina, who had won their previous four South American qualifiers.
In the 19th minute of the first half, players from both teams got into a nervous breakdown. Argentine striker Nicolas Gonzalez went down after a challenge with Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo. Nearby, Rodrigo de Paul and Ugarte collided.
Ugarte taunted De Paul and got into an altercation. Messi was included in the taunts. Calling De Paul “Messi’s bodyguard,” Ugarte provoked him by saying, “I hope you spend the rest of your life behind Messi’s back. De Paul laughed it off, but Messi was incensed. Messi then grabbed the Uruguayan players by the scruff of the neck and shook them.
In his post-match interview, Messi said, “I don’t usually say this, but the young Uruguayan players need to learn to respect the older players. No matter how hard you play, you have to respect your opponents. The Uruguayan players need to learn this.”
The “douchebag controversy” immediately erupted, with critics asking why he would use his age and seniority to criticize the behavior of a younger player on the opposing team. For reference, Messi is a 36-year-old veteran born in 1987. Ugarte is a 22-year-old rookie born in 2001. To use a Korean analogy, Park Joo-ho (36) criticized Lee Kang-in (22) for his attitude.
“I knew it was going to be a difficult game,” said Messi, who hasn’t lost an A-match in about a year. The Uruguayans are physically strong. They had a lot of speed. It was not a pleasant game for Argentina.” “Marcelo Bielsa did a good job with the Uruguayan team. It was a game that Argentina deserved to lose. We will bounce back in our next game against Brazil.” 아톰카지노 도메인
Ugarte, who was targeted by Messi, is no stranger to domestic fans. He joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) last summer, where he played alongside Lee Kang-in. Ugarte has been in a PSG jersey since this season after playing for Portuguese side Sporting CP from 2021 until last season. His main position is defensive midfielder.