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via Getty

via Getty

As Argentina clashed with Ecuador in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, the latter fell short as Lionel Messi scored an otherworldly free-kick; his 5th of the season. Although La Albiceleste came out victorious, many were upset over the fact that Lionel Messi kept his silence during the national anthem. An Argentine activist and politician even expressed his unhappiness as he took to Twitter to slam the World Cup champion. Not just that, he even accused Messi as an employee of a Miami-based mafia!

This isn’t the first time that the Argentine has faced backlash over keeping mum during the national anthem. He’s been subjected to harassment by home supporters before by fans who used to believe that it was his silence that was costing them medals.

Politician targets Lionel Messi

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Before winning the World Cup, Messi was once on the verge of retiring from his national duties. It was only after lots of persuasion and his love for his country that made him take a U-turn on his decision. There used to be a lot of bashing projected toward Messi, it is only now after the World Cup that it has stopped.

Activist and politician, Luis D’Elia, posted on Twitter to display his sadness over Messi not singing the national anthem. In his post, he wrote, “It hurts our souls to see that the maximum idol of Argentine soccer LIONEL MESSI is not only an employee of the Mas Canosa mafia in Miami but also makes a sly silence at the time of singing the National Anthem.”

In continuation, he also wrote, “D10S FROM HEAVEN FORGIVE HIM”D10S here refers to Diego Maradona, who has been seen enthusiastically singing the national anthem in the video.

Read more – “Don’t Have to Hate Messi” – Cristiano Ronaldo Breaks Silence on His Rivalry With Lionel Messi, Giving Fans a Solid Advice

Lionel Messi has already given his stand on the subject of not singing the national anthem. Messi has been clear in his views and it doesn’t bother him anymore.

Lionel Messi gives his stand on not singing the national anthem

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After Argentina’s loss against Germany, frustration started to build within the fans. However, things weren’t as bad then as they were about to get. In 2016, Argentina went all the way to the finals of the Copa America. Once again, La Albiceleste lost the game against Chile with Messi missing his penalty during the penalty shootouts. This was the boiling point for the fans.

The fans would then go on to criticize the members of the team including Lionel Messi who got it the worst. It was then that they realized that Messi never sang the national anthem and was always silent at that moment. Lionel Messi stated in response that the anthem strikes everyone differently. Messi said he doesn’t need to sing for it to mean something to him.

via Imago

Lionel Messi also stated that whether you sing it or not isn’t going to change anything. The team feels it differently, and that’s good. The journey of Messi clinching the World Cup is a story set in years not a month. Lionel Messi was the sole scorer in the win against Ecuador. And as he usually does, Messi doesn’t need to respond as his performances speak for him.

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