Edu Aguirre, journalist for El Chiringuito in Spain reacted to the Albiceleste victory and Lionel Messi’s three goals: “At 38, scoring 3 goals against Algeria is impressive, very good. This isn’t about how it starts, but how it ends. We have to stay calm”.
But the Spaniard also referred to referee Marciniak’s decision not to book Messi for a clear foul on Aïssa Mand. The image of that action without a red card fueled even more the narrative of those who had already been shouting “help”. ⚽
“I don’t want to get worked up, but it’s way too obvious, brother. We all saw how Argentina won the last World Cup with 7 penalties in 7 matches. He had to be sent off. Man, if it’s any other of the 21 players who was on the field doing that and his name isn’t Messi, he gets sent off. It’s no big deal, and I think it’s great that FIFA wants to respect the legends of world football, but it’s a red. Nowadays there’s VAR. It’s way too obvious to me. He’s one of the best in history, but he always gets a little bit of help there, even though he doesn’t need it, he doesn’t need it“
❌🇦🇷 “MESSI ALWAYS gets SOME LITTLE HELP”.
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) June 17, 2026
🟥 “It’s a RED, any other player would have been sent off”.
👉The words of @EduAguirre7 after the Argentine’s hat-trick. pic.twitter.com/o7ymDMGlFO