Lionel Messi, the maestro of football, is arguably the greatest player of all time. Though he stands at a height of 5 ft 8 inches, but Messi plays like a giant in the football field. Clinching his 8th Ballon d’Or in 2023, he has made a record of the most Ballon d’Ors in the history of football with Ronaldo sitting at the second with five.
Sinc making his move to Miami, Messi has been in the headlines all over the US. Recently, he had rumored to have refused to swap jerseys with LA Galaxy defender Eriq Zavaleta. It seems that is entirely false as Zavaleta himself refuted the claims.
LA Galaxy defender talks over Lionel Messi’s jersey swap controversy
One of the most entertaining matches in the MLS recently took place on February 26th, where LA Galaxy hosted Inter Miami. In a match filled with nail-biting drama, Inter Miami was able to clinch a point after a wonderful performance by J. McCarthy, LA Galaxy’s goalkeeper.
However, post-match events took an intriguing turn as LA Galaxy defender Eriq Zavaleta approached Messi for a high five and exchanged words. Just then, Messi was seen refusing someone, which many fans perceived as him making that gesture towards Eriq, who wanted to swap jerseys.
However, Eriq Zavaleta cleared all the misconception that people were holding against Messi, two days after Eriq made a tweet laughing over the news which portrayed Messi denying the shirt swap.
The defender also defended Messi from criticism, stating, “I never spoke to him lol. He’s clearly mad at the refs but agendas.” Following this statement, it appears that Eriq has stepped up to defend Messi off the field against critics.
🗣️"He's clearly mad at the refs"
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) March 1, 2024
LA Galaxy defender Eriq Zavaleta has denied Lionel Messi refused to swap shirts with him after their game with Inter Miami https://t.co/HPZauEdYN7
Following the arriving of his ex-Barcelona teammates in this season such as Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez, Messi has shown a remarkable resurgence on the field. Messi has continued his spectacular form from where he had left last season delivering 11 goals in 14 matches.
Why Lionel Messi upset with LA Galaxy match refereeing?
During the match against LA Galaxy, Messi was visibly frustrated with various decisions made by the referee. A video of Lionel Messi has been circulating and has gone viral after the match against LA Galaxy. According to The Athletic, after the full-time whistle, Messi was seen pointing his finger towards the referee in a gesture of dissatisfaction. It appeared that Messi was very upset with the way the match was officiated.
🚨Lionel Messi is not happy with the referee pic.twitter.com/afg5ifLUvZ
— Inter Miami News Hub (@Intermiamicfhub) February 26, 2024
The match was full of drama, with Messi single-handedly steering Inter-Miami to salvage a crucial point. Tensions rose when Galaxy Midfielder Marky Delgado was sent off by the referee after receiving a second yellow card.
However, many felt he should have been sent off earlier for a harsh tackle that only earned him a caution. Controversy escalated further when the referee awarded a penalty to LA Galaxy after a soft foul by Sergio Busquets, leaving Miami fans questioning the referee’s decision. The climax of the match came when Lionel Messi scored from the spot in the dying moments of the game.
The game ended with both teams salvaging 1 point each. However, Messi seemed to be unsatisfied with the performance of himself and also upset with the refereeing during the match.
Do you think there was foul play in the match officiating? Share with us below.
