Lionel Messi issues brutal put-down to Paraguay player alleged to have SPAT at him during Argentina’s World Cup qualifier

• Cameras caught Antonio Sanabria spitting in Messi’s direction after argument
• Messi claimed ‘I don’t know who this guy is’ despite Barcelona connection
• Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’ 

Lionel Messi had a brutal putdown for an opponent who allegedly spat at him during Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Paraguay.

Replays showed Antonio Sanabria – like Messi, a Barcelona youth product – spitting in the star’s direction after an exchange of words during Thursday night’s match in Buenos Aires.

Messi wasn’t facing in Sanabria’s direction at the time and said he only found out post-match what had happened, delivering a brutal response to the Paraguay and Torino forward.

‘The truth is that I didn’t see it. They told me in the locker room that one of them had spit on me,’ Messi said, as per Marca.

‘The truth is, I don’t even know who this guy is. I didn’t see him. They only told me.

Paraguay’s Antonio Sanabria was alleged to have spat at Argentina star Lionel Messi during Thursday night’s World Cup qualifier in Buenos Aires

Messi said after the match he didn’t see the spitting incident and asked who Sanabria was

https://youtube.com/watch?v=myd46dAzOzo%3Frel%3D0

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‘I don’t want to give important either because he’s going to come out, talk everywhere and it’s worse.

‘It’s going to become known, so it’s better to leave it there.’

Sanabria sought to downplay the spitting incident in his post-match interview.

‘I was looking at the image. It seems like I spit it out but, no, there’s nothing to see. It was far away,’ he told TyC Sports.

‘Nothing happened with Messi. It seems like I spit out, but there’s nothing to see, it was far way and I totally deny it.’

Sanabria, 27, was in Barcelona’s youth sides when Messi, 36, was a star for the club between 2009 and 2014.

The Paraguayan forward didn’t make a first-team appearance for Barcelona before he signed for Roma in 2014, initially spending time with Sassuolo.

He later returned to Spain with Real Betis and has been with Torino since 2021, scoring 12 times last season.

Sanabria (second left) with Leandro Paredes post-match, as Messi (second right) talks to Ramon Sosa after Argentina beat Paraguay 1-0

Messi came off the bench in the second-half to help Argentina win the World Cup qualifier 1-0

Nicolas Otamendi scored the decisive goal in Buenos Aires as Argentina top the group

Sanabria was in Barcelona’s academy when Messi played there and is now with Torino

Argentina won Thursday night’s match 1-0 to continue their perfect start to qualification for the 2026 World Cup in North America with three wins from three.

Nicolas Otamendi’s early goal proved decisive with Messi only coming on for Julian Alvarez in the 53rd minute.

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