Jose Marin

[Lemon @Lemonbriz]

🚨🗣️ New: Gareth Bale reacts to the Argentina vs Algeria match and the Messi incident:

“I’ve been around this game long enough to know when something doesn’t feel right. Argentina against Algeria wasn’t just another group game. Messi scored a hat-trick, Argentina won comfortably, and the headlines will focus on that. But what happened around the 30th minute told a bigger story about where football is heading.

Messi went in on Algeria’s captain. Studs up, right across the calf and down toward the Achilles. In real time it looked bad. In slow motion it looked worse. That’s a red card on most days, against most players, in most competitions. The referee and VAR had a clear look. They chose not to act.
I’m not here to pile on the officials. I wouldn’t want to be the man who shows Messi a red card in a World Cup and potentially derails Argentina’s group stage. The heat that would come with that decision is something no referee signs up for lightly. But that’s exactly the problem. When the fear of the consequences starts influencing what happens on the pitch, the game stops being decided by the players and the laws.

This World Cup is already the most commercialised version we’ve seen. Games paused for television breaks, extra stoppages dressed up as player welfare when everyone knows it’s about fitting in more ads. Now we’re seeing officiating decisions that protect the biggest names and the biggest storylines because knocking Argentina out early in the groups would hurt the narrative FIFA and the broadcasters have built.

What happens to the ‘script’ then? The defending champions gone before the knockout stage. Messi missing matches. Sponsors and rights holders suddenly watching their investment lose momentum. The product they’ve spent billions packaging suddenly looks very different.

I’ve played in big tournaments. I know how much money and pressure sit behind every decision now. But football used to have a rhythm and a soul that came from uncertainty. You never knew what was coming next. When protecting commercial interests and keeping the stars on the pitch starts overriding clear red-card incidents, that soul gets chipped away a little more.

The game deserves better than this. Players deserve rules applied the same way every time. Fans deserve to watch a sport that isn’t afraid of its own outcomes. If we keep letting money and narratives dictate what we see on the pitch, we’re not watching football anymore. We’re watching a show that happens to have a ball on it.”

[MadrispaniaTV @MadrispaniaTV]

Even f*cking ESPN FC think it's a red card.

[Legion @_01Legion]

🚨📲 NEW: The Algerian defender, Assa Mandi, has taken to Instagram to complain about the refs' decision in the match against Argentina.

"If I’d fractured my ankle last night, the guy who did it would’ve walked away with no card. Refs need to do better. The whole world is watching."

[Mal @UtdMaI]

Bro we’ve seen Cristiano Ronaldo score a World Cup hat-trick against Spain in a game where Portugal went behind three separate times.

Now I’m supposed to be moved by a hat-trick vs Algeria in a one-sided game? 😭

And don’t get me started — Lionel Messi should’ve been sent off. This is a fugazi hat-trick.

[SethOfficial🇵🇹 @UTD_Seth001]

🚨Riyad Mahrez on the controversial Lionel Messi challenge against Aïssa Mandi during Argentina vs Algeria at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Algeria’s shameful performance:

🗣️ “I know this won’t be a popular opinion, but for me, if that challenge is made by almost any other player in this tournament, we’re having a completely different conversation.

If that is a defender wearing a different shirt, a midfielder from a smaller nation, or simply a player without Lionel Messi’s name on the back, I believe there is a serious chance a red card is shown.

That is my honest view.

The contact was significant.

When you see a boot come up and catch an opponent like that, players have been sent off for similar incidents before.

That is why so many people are debating it.

What frustrates players is consistency.

We are always told the rules are the same for everyone.

But moments like this make people question whether that is really the case.

Messi is one of the greatest players in football history.

Nobody can deny that.

He does not need special treatment.

His football speaks for itself.

That is why controversies like this become so big.

Because people look at the incident and wonder if the decision would have been the same if another player had made the challenge.

Of course, the referee and VAR saw it differently.

They reviewed it and decided there was no red card.

That decision is final.

But do not be surprised that players, fans and pundits continue to argue about it.

Because if football wants credibility, then consistency must be the same whether your name is Lionel Messi or anybody else.

That is the debate people are having tonight.”

{@beINSPORTS }

[Val 🤍 @GxldeVall]

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

[Saffron Sniper @Saffron_Sniper1]

Throwback to when Thiago Silva gifted Mbappé a Ninja Turtle mask🐢

The best part?

It came inside a Dior box, so Mbappé thought he was getting something expensive 😭

[natt. ᢉ𐭩⋆˚࿔ @merseidez]

mexicans when it’s time to play against south korea

[Lemon @Lemonbriz]

🚨🎙️ Roy Keane on Messi’s career ending tackle overlooked by VAR and the referee ;

🗣️”After the match yesterday all you see is Messi’s praises everywhere, the hype, the headlines, the hat-trick talk. Yeah, maybe he deserves some of it — the lad can still play.
But no one wants to say the truth. No one wants to address what went wrong yesterday.

That challenge was an absolute disgrace. Late, studs up, straight into the Achilles — career-ending territory. On any other player, anywhere else, it’s a straight red card and you’re marching off before half-time. But not when it’s Messi.
The referee bottles it, VAR takes a quick look and says ‘nah, carry on lad.’ Give me a break!

This is the World Cup, the biggest stage in the game. This is where the rules are supposed to mean something. Not bent, not softened, not ignored because of the name on the back of the jersey. Players have been sent off for half as much in this tournament. Where’s the consistency? Do the laws of the game suddenly not apply when it’s Lionel Messi?

This is why the game’s gone soft. Big names get protected, the rest get crucified. Absolute joke of officiating on the greatest stage of all.”

[SiuuStorm @siuustorm]

The GOAT 🐐🔥

[Tito 🏀🏈👿👟🗽 @TPositiveVibes1]

Nike About To Start Having Fun…

[All Fútbol MX 🇲🇽 @AllFutbolMX]

🚨🤯 WATCH: A mariachi band and hundreds of supporters welcomed the Mexican National Team to their hotel in Guadalajara. 👏🏼

El Tri has already received a warm and special reception from the fans ahead of their game against South Korea. ❤️🇰🇷

[Jessika Aguirre @jessbbyyyxo]

It’s FUCK ARGENTINA AND FUCK MESSI . Today

[Robie✨ @RobieArt]

Germany Freeza is diabolical

[vic 🇲🇽 @futbolwiz7]

even france look mediocre who’s actually stopping mexico from winning it all 😭😭

[E @Ellis_]

Yeah man basketball clout actually can’t compare to football clout.

What do you mean some 40 year old Cape Verde goalkeeper gained the same amount of followers after a 0-0 as basketball’s current biggest star.

[Zlatan Ibrahimović @Ibra_official]

In the zone

[Zlatan Ibrahimović @Ibra_official]

Smooth

[jd @jdayz__]

World Cup is basically my best Africans vs your best Africans