A day after the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, which Argentina lost to Spain, a video went viral showing Lionel Messi saying something to his teammates. “Come on, guys. Calm down, calm down is the most important thing. Let’s stay calm. Let’s just think about playing, nothing else. Calm down, let’s forget about everything. Let’s just play, let’s think about playing. That’s all, guys, let’s go,” the captain of the Albiceleste was heard saying.
With Messi being heard trying to ‘calm down’ his teammates, asking them to forget everything and move on just minutes before the start of the title showdown, the internet was intrigued.
Carlos Mac Allister, father of Alexis Mac Allister – Messi’s teammate – sent his son a message to find out what was behind it.
“I texted Alexis: ‘Hey, what happened in the locker room? Did something happen?’ I was just as worried. If I was worried, thinking that if something had happened my son would have told me right away, imagine how everyone else felt!” said “Colo” in an interview with Radio La Red.
La charla completa de los jugadores de la Selección Argentina antes de entrar a la cancha.
El video que despeja todas las dudas. pic.twitter.com/g0MKTtmCqu
— De Primera (@DePrimeraa) July 21, 2026
“He told me no, that they were talking about going out to play, in the football sense, about playing, passing, rotating, creating triangles, not kicking the ball high, not giving away possession. That’s what they were referring to. Then a lot of doubts started to arise. These days, also because of that post that was made, many people write to me and some people have said this to me,” the former footballer, who played for Argentinos Juniors and Boca Juniors, added.
Now, an extended video has been released on social media, highlighting what happened right before kick-off. In the video, Messi can be seen leading his troops from the dressing room to the waiting area.
Messi walks out of the dressing room wearing a white Argentina jacket over his kit. Chants of “Vamos muchachos” (“Let’s go, guys!”) can be heard, while the support staff also seem to be cheering the team.
The video later shows Messi with teammates behind him. The camera follows him as he moves forward. As Messi reaches the waiting area where both teams line up before walking onto the pitch, he deliberately goes around greeting players from Spain.
He makes a point of shaking hands, patting shoulders, or briefly hugging several of them, particularly those associated with Barcelona, the club where Messi spent most of his career.