Lionel Messi responded firmly to his former Barcelona teammate Antonio Sanabria, who was forced to deny spitting at the football icon.

Argentina clinched a 1-0 victory against their South American rivals in World Cup qualifying during the early hours of Friday morning, with tensions running high.

Just five minutes were remaining on the clock when Messi had a confrontation with Sanabria, and some spit appeared to fly in the direction of the 36-year-old.

The 27-year-old, who spent five years in the Barcelona academy and trained alongside Messi and the first-team, refuted the allegation that he had spat at the forward. However, after the match, the Inter Miami player expressed his side of the story.

In an interview with TyC Sports, Messi responded, saying, “My teammates informed me about it in the locker room. It’s probably best to let the matter rest.”

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner continued, “I don’t even know who this individual is, and I don’t want to give him any significance, because if he gets that, he’ll start talking everywhere and become famous.”

In response, Sanabria clarified that he didn’t spit directly at Messi but rather in his general direction, with the camera angle making it appear more egregious.

Sanabria has made a name for himself with Torino after permanent spells with Sassuolo, Roma, and Real Betis. He has earned 29 caps for his country, while Messi achieved World Cup glory with Argentina back in December.

Despite not having played for his club in recent weeks, the Inter Miami player showed no signs of slowing down and even hit the post twice during their 1-0 victory.

Lionel Scaloni took a risk by including Messi in the match, despite him being sidelined for his club recently, potentially raising the ire of Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham. The manager stated before the game, “We still have training, it is important for Leo. We saw him [looking] well, we will talk before practice to see if he plays from the beginning or not.”

Argentina’s next challenge is another qualifier against Peru, having won all three of their previous matches. They currently lead the 10-team group, with the top six teams earning automatic qualification for the 2026 tournament to be held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Lionel Messi

This season he played in total 5 times for 282 minutes for Major League Soccer.

Lionel Messi scored 1 goal for Inter Miami. He procured twice assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.

His team is currently 14th in Major League Soccer. In the last match Inter Miami lost 1-0 against Cincinnati.

Inter Miami performance and stats

Inter Miami is currently 14th in the Major League Soccer with 33 points.

In the last 32 games, it has won 9 times, drawn 6 times, and lost 17 times. In its last match, Inter Miami lost 0-1 against Cincinnati.​​

It has a negative goal difference after scoring 39 goals and conceding 51.​

Inter Miami will play the next match in Major League Soccer against Charlotte on Saturday 21st of October in Charlotte.​

Antonio Sanabria

This season he played in total 5 times for 232 minutes for Serie A.

Antonio Sanabria didn’t score any goal for Torino. He procured no assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.

His team is currently 14th in Serie A. In the last match Torino lost 2-0 against Juventus.

Torino performance and stats

Torino is currently 14th in the Serie A with 9 points.

In the last 8 games, it has won twice, drawn 3 times, and lost 3 times. In its last match, Torino lost 2-0 against Juventus.​​

It has a negative goal difference after scoring 6 goals and conceding 9.​