Lionel Messi, 39, missed a penalty against Egyptian goalkeeper Mustafa Shubair in the middle of the 2026 World Cup. And for a while, he felt he had let down an entire country.
Argentina was trailing 2-0 in Atlanta and the captain carried that guilt when a comeback seemed impossible. But he provided an assist, scored the equalizer, and watched Enzo Fernández seal the 3-2 in the final minutes.
When the referee blew the final whistle, Messi did not run to celebrate. He stayed off to one side, crying, exhausted, while his teammates embraced.
In the mixed zone he explained his tears: “Today was very difficult, no one gives you anything. It looked really bad and it was difficult, that is why the release and the relief”, he concluded.