According to RMC, Argentine fans became suspicious of Messi's remarks before the 2026 World Cup final, and McAllister's father later came forward to clarify.
This footage has sparked considerable discussion. Since Spain's 1-0 victory over Argentina in extra time of the 2026 World Cup final, a video of Messi speaking to his teammates before kickoff has gone viral on social media. In the video, Messi first says, "Come on, guys, calm down, everyone calm down. The most important thing is to stay calm." He then adds a few words that have raised suspicions among some Argentine fans: "Forget everything. Just play football. We're only focused on the game, guys."
These few words were enough to arouse suspicion, and conspiracy theories quickly emerged on social media. Some people, based solely on these out-of-context remarks and the possible depressed behavior of some players, began to speculate on various explanations. Carlos McAllister, the father of Argentine midfielder Alexis McAllister, also took notice of these speculations.
Carlos McAllister revealed on Radio La Red that, according to La Nation, he texted Alexis: “Hey, what’s going on in the locker room? Is something wrong?” “I’m getting caught up in the suspicion myself,” he said. “If even I start to have doubts—and my son would definitely tell me first if something really happened—you can imagine what other people are thinking!”
He then revealed the true meaning of the conversation. "He replied that no, they were talking about how a game should be played, from a football perspective, how to organize attacks, how to pass the ball, how to rotate and play triangular combinations, rather than just making long passes or losing possession. That's all he was talking about." He added, "But later, more and more questions arose. In recent days, especially because of that post, many people have messaged me, and some have started to imply this statement."
"In the end, everyone will always wonder, 'What did he really mean by that?' But I think everyone knows what the reality is. We are playing against Spain, and they are definitely stronger."
"It will be tough for a while, but you have to accept that sometimes you just have to face a stronger opponent. It doesn't mean we didn't give it our all; the whole team gave it their all. But we were up against a Spanish team that was in better form and had more reserves than us."
