Lionel Messi and Argentina were in an absolute battle against Cape Verde in the Round of 32 in the 2026 World Cup. It was such a hard-fought battle that the Argentinian ace even left the field with a big bruise on his forehead after colliding with a Cape Verde’s player’s knee.
Messi was dribbling against plenty of Cape Verde’s opponents when he got tripped and as he fell, he collided with the knee of a Cape Verde player. The play came in extra time. This won’t put in jeopardy Messi’s availability as Argentina face Egypt in the Round of 16.
Thankfully, Messi was able to recover and even took the free kick for Argentina. Still, it was a visible bruise as he gave postgame interviews after the tough 3-2 win vs. Cape Verde. Even Lionel Scaloni said Cape Verde showed 200% effort in this game.
Messi was crucial for Argentina once again
Messi kept his goal-scoring streak going as he scored the first goal in the 3-2 thriller against Cape Verde. He then send the cross that ended in the Diney own goal. In fact, if that play counted as a Christian Romero goal, Messi would’ve broken the record for most assists in World Cup history.
Así terminó Lionel Messi el partido.
— José Armando (@Jarm21) July 4, 2026
Sufrió un duro golpe en la cabeza al pegar en la rodilla de un defensor de Cabo Verde en acción de partido.#FIFAWorldCup #Argentina pic.twitter.com/lJjXfdnjwZ
Messi, at 39 years old, played the 120 minutes of the game with big-time intensity. He was still the most influential player on offense for the Argentina squad. Also, a shoutout must be made by mentioning Lisandro Martinez, who as a center back, scored and assisted in this game.
Messi battled World Cup sensation Vozinha in a great duel
Much has been said about Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, and today Messi learned why the hard way. Despite scoring against him, Vozinha still denied him on many occasions.
Per SofaScore, Vozinha had eight saves in the game, and despite conceding three times (no fault of his own), he still received a very positive 8.4 grade. Cape Verde might have lost against Argentina. Still, they literally bruised them, as you can see in Messi’s forehead and how tough the match was.
