‘Young people have to learn to respect’ — Messi reveals reason for brawl between Argentina and Uruguay players

Argentina national team captain Lionel Messi has revealed the reason for the bust-up between the Albiceleste stars and their Uruguayan counterparts during their recent 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. 

Argentina suffered their first loss of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Uruguay at the Alberto Jose Armando in Buenos Aires. 

Goals from Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo and Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez inflicted the Albiceleste’s first defeat since their 2-1 reverse against Saudi Arabia in the first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. 

During the match, a fight broke out after a confrontation between Uruguay’s Manuel Ugarte and Argentina’s Rodrigo De Paul, which devolved into a full-on brawl with Messi eventually stepping in. 

The players were eventually separated, but not before Messi was seen choking Ugarte amid the scuffle, escaping a red card for his actions. 

Speaking after the match against Uruguay, Messi spoke to journalists about the incident, saying, “I prefer not to say what I think about some gestures. But these young people have to learn to respect from their elders.

“This game [between Argentina and Uruguay] was always intense and hard, but always with a lot of respect. They have to learn a little bit”.

Argentina's next fixture in 2026 World Cup qualifying is against another perennial rival, Brazil, who also suffered a loss in their last match against Colombia.