Argentine star Lionel Messi was put in an embarrassing situation when he ran into Argentine journalist Sofia Martinez after his country's exciting 3-2 victory over Cape Verde, which secured their place in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
After the match, Messi headed to the media zone to speak with journalists, before encountering Sofia Martinez, whom he greeted with a smile and a kiss, saying: "Afterwards they will say that I don't greet you, and that I look at you or I don't look at you... If I look at you they will say why did I look, and if I greet you they will say why did I greet you."
According to the Argentine newspaper "La Nación," the words of the Argentine national team captain were a sarcastic reference to the rumors that have spread in recent years about the nature of his relationship with the journalist, which resurfaced during the 2026 World Cup.
Martinez quickly turned 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 appreciate it very much."
Later, the journalist commented on what happened, stressing that Messi's statement was intended to put an end to the rumors, and said: "This is just noise that is raised from time to time without any meaning. He did not have to explain anything, but he did so to confirm that there is no problem."
Messi is preparing to lead the Argentine national team against their Egyptian counterparts next Tuesday in the round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The story began during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when Martinez interviewed Messi after Argentina qualified for the final at the expense of Croatia, and the looks of the "Tango" captain during the interview sparked widespread interaction on social media.
During that interview, the journalist addressed a touching message to Messi, saying that he "reached the heart of every Argentinian," while the player simply looked at her in silence for several seconds, a scene that went viral and sparked a wave of speculation about a personal interest between the two.
However, Martinez has repeatedly denied these claims, asserting that what happened was misinterpreted, and in previous statements she said she felt "ridiculous" at having to deny baseless rumors.
In recent weeks, the story has resurfaced after unconfirmed reports circulated alleging that Argentine national team players were "banned" from giving interviews to Martinez, allegedly because Messi's wife, Antonella Roccuzzo, was uncomfortable with some of the journalist's behavior.
But these accounts were later denied, and Martinez revealed that Roccuzzo had contacted her personally earlier to reassure her, sending her a message saying: "Don't worry... don't pay attention to what people say."
