In the video, Messi mocks rumors about his relationship with an Argentinian journalist

Argentina star Lionel Messi has brought to the fore the controversy surrounding Argentine journalist Sofia Martinez after she made a sarcastic comment about him following his country’s dramatic 3-2 win over Cape Verde to secure a place in the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup.

After the match, Messi went to the media area to talk to reporters before he ran into Sofia Martinez and smiled at her, saying: “Then they say: I don’t say hello, and I look at you, or I don’t look at you… If I look at you, they say: why did you look, and if I say hello, they say: why did I say hello?”

According to the newspaper “Not a single person“The Argentina captain’s comments are a sarcastic reference to the rumors that have circulated in recent years about the nature of his relationship with a journalist, which resurfaced during the 2026 World Cup.

Martinez was quick to turn the conversation to the game, saying: “Let’s talk about what we love, which is our job,” before thanking Messi for his gesture, adding: “Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

Later, the journalist commented on what happened, emphasizing that Messi’s speech came to put an end to the rumors and said: “This is just noise that is raised from time to time without any meaning.

Messi, together with the Argentine national team, is going to meet with the Egyptian national team next Tuesday in the 1/8 finals.

Rumors started at the World Cup in Qatar

The story begins at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when Martinez interviewed Messi after Argentina qualified for the final at the expense of Croatia, with the Tango captain’s views during the conversation going viral on social media.

During that interview, the journalist sent an emotional message to Messi, saying he had “reached the heart of every Argentine”, while the player stared at him in silence for several seconds, a scene that was widely shared and sparked speculation that there was personal interest between the two sides.

However, Martinez has repeatedly denied these allegations, stressing that what happened was misinterpreted and has said in previous statements that he feels “ridiculous” denying the baseless rumours.

New rumors about the 2026 World Cup

The story has returned to the fore in recent weeks after unconfirmed reports circulated that Argentina players were “banned” from interviewing Martinez, claiming Messi’s wife, Antonella Roccuzzo, was not suitable for some of the journalist’s actions.

But these accounts were later denied, and Martinez also revealed that Roccuzzo had contacted him personally earlier to reassure him and sent him a message in which he said:

It seems that Messi’s latest comment came in the context of mocking these rumors, confirming in his own way that what has been raised in the past years is not based on any facts.