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Lionel Messi’s viral reaction to Jude Bellingham, Argentina’s comeback victory over England and Messi’s FIFA World Cup 2026 dominance.
Jude Bellingham and Lionel Messi collide during the World Cup semifinal (Picture credit: AP)
Argentine football legend Lionel Messi’s reaction to being provoked by England’s Jude Bellingham during the semifinal at the ongoing FIFA World Cup has gone viral on social media, garnering millions of views.
During Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final in Atlanta, Messi and Bellingham were involved in a heated exchange before the defending world champions staged a brilliant comeback to book their place in the final.
In the viral clip, Bellingham was seen exchanging words with Messi before walking away with a smirk, while the latter remained composed, nodding as if to signal he would let his football do the talking.
Messi soon backed that up by setting up both goals as Argentina knocked out England to book a FIFA World Cup 2026 showdown against Spain on Sunday, July 19. Watch the video here:
Messi once again showed that, even at 39, he can inspire his team from a goal down to a win. Argentina’s 2-1 comeback victory over England in Atlanta on Wednesday kept the South Americans’ hopes of retaining the FIFA World Cup alive.
Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez scored Argentina’s goals, but Messi created both.
Messi described the clash as ‘quite a special one’, saying that the long-running dispute over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands added extra significance to facing England given the historical backdrop between the two countries.
Messi has been Argentina’s driving force throughout the tournament. At 39, when most players have long retired, he continues to be the team’s heartbeat, leading the Golden Boot race with eight goals while also providing four assists at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
After Thomas Tuchel’s tactical tweaks transformed the contest, Fernández levelled the scores with a brilliant strike from outside the box, having been picked out by a perfectly weighted pass from Messi.
Argentina won their FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final match against England with a 2-1 comeback victory. England led 1-0 until the 84th minute.
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