Lionel Messi’s pep talks during the World Cup finals spark theories. (video clips)
New footage of Lionel Messi’s pre-match and half-time team conversations has reignited debate over whether Argentina entered the 2026 World Cup final carrying more baggage than just the weight of defending their title.The newly emerged videos, which were recorded inside the dressing room and players’ tunnel ahead of Sunday’s final against Spain, sparked widespread speculation by fans after Messi repeatedly urged his teammates to “forget everything” and focus only on football.
The footage went viral after Argentina produced one of its quietest performances under Lionel Scaloni, eventually losing 1-0 after extra time to Spain at MetLife Stadium.While Spain dominated the course of the match, Argentina failed to pose a real attacking threat for long periods, and its first shot did not arrive until deep into extra time.
Messi’s repeated message raises questions
The first video, filmed moments before the players left the dressing room, shows Messi trying to calm a team that looks unusually tense.“Calm down, let’s stay calm, guys. Let’s think about playing, nothing else. Stay calm. Let’s forget everything, let’s forget everything.”
“Let’s focus on playing,” the Argentina captain told his teammates.
Another clip from the tunnel shows Messi sending a similar message moments before kick-off.Messi was heard saying to his teammates: “Come on, guys, let’s forget what happened, as if nothing happened.”The wording quickly caught the attention of fans, especially as several players – including Lisandro Martinez and Enzo Fernandez – looked visibly emotional and unusually submissive.Martinez later went off with an injury during the first half, while Fernandes was sent off late in normal time after receiving a second yellow card.
Half-time huddle alongside Emiliano Martinez
Messi’s leadership continued during the break as television cameras captured another motivational speech before Argentina’s comeback in the second half.“Come on, guys. Character, people, character. We’ve always had it, so why don’t we have it now? We have the character to play with,” Messi urged.Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez also tried to inspire the team with an equally emotional message, saying: “With the heart, boys. Let’s go forward, not backwards… Only cowards play backwards.”
Despite the shouts, Argentina struggled to impose themselves before Ferran Torres finally scored the winner in the 106th minute.The unusual nature of Messi’s comments sparked many theories on social media.
What added to the mystery was that Scaloni said after the final match that “things happened” before the match, but he refused to go into details “out of respect for the tournament.”
Emotional consequences
Messi later spoke about the defeat in an emotional message on Instagram.“The pain is enormous and it will take time for this wound to heal,” he wrote. He added: “But I also cling to all the good… This group has reached the World Cup finals twice in a row.”Midfielder Rodrigo De Paul also denied the accusations surrounding Argentina’s run in the tournament, criticizing those spreading “baseless conspiracy theories” during the World Cup.For now, the widely circulated footage has only served to deepen the conspiracy. Messi’s repeated calls to “forget everything” remain unjustified.
