Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), one of the best players of all time, was under fire for his past teammate Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain).
Miami, led by Messi, suffered a crushing 0-4 defeat in the round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 against PSG at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on the 30th (Korea time).
Messi's frustration of losing helplessly was exposed to the surface. In the first half alone, João Neves (2 goals), Achraf Hakimi, and his own goal were already dedicated to four goals, and the team is being dragged away. Messi chased down Portuguese midfielder Vitinha, who owned the ball. He held the uniform with strong pressure from behind Vittinha, but Vittinha cleverly gave up the pass to his teammate without losing possession of the ball. The next act caught the attention of the fans. According to the Portuguese daily 'Avola', Messi punched Vitinha's head. 'Some said Messi hit Vittinha and criticized him, but his arm seemed to have gone over Vittinha's head', according to the situation at the time.
Fans reacted enthusiastically to the news. One fan posted on social media 'Why did Messi hit Vitiny? He doesn't know how to lose. There's really no sportsmanship. Another fan wrote 'Vitinya what made you so angry?' was bewildered.
'Avola' estimated that the incident was not irrelevant to the moment Messi and Vitinha collided at PSG training in 2023. According to media reports at the time, Messi, unhappy with Vitinya's rough tackle during training, shot back "You're not only weak, you hurt me." At the time, rumors spread that Vitinya would be released from the team due to the incident. Vitinya denied the rumors on its personal social media, but it was not clear whether Vitinya denied the case itself or that there was simply no request to leave.
Messi and Vitinya shared a hug after the game. He exchanged uniforms with his Barcelona teammate Usman Dembele. However, he could not avoid criticism from the French media. The French daily `L'Equipe' pointed out Messi's poor performance, saying it was not the first time he had seen him walking while PSG players were playing. PSG players turned Messi into a spectator, according to the magazine. Messi left Barcelona in 2021 to join PSG and played for two years, but left for Miami without winning the European Champions League trophy that the club had hoped for.
Meanwhile, Lee Kang-in replaced Hakimi in the 25th minute of the second half and played with Messi, the idol of all players. Messi played 90 minutes full time. With the victory, Lee Kang-in will face Bayern Munich, Kim Min-jae's team, in the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup. As Kim Min-jae is recovering from an Achilles injury, it is unclear whether the "Korean Derby" between the two players will take place in Atlanta on the 6th of next month.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
