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Lionel Messi Elbows Uruguay's Mathias Olivera Before Grabbing His Neck During Feisty World Cup Qualifier

Argentina captain Lionel Messi hit Uruguay player Mathias Olivera with his elbow before grabbing his neck during a bad-tempered World Cup qualifier on Thursday.

Robert Summerscales

Lionel Messi Elbows Uruguay's Mathias Olivera Before Grabbing His Neck During Feisty World Cup Qualifier
Lionel Messi Elbows Uruguay's Mathias Olivera Before Grabbing His Neck During Feisty World Cup Qualifier /

Lionel Messi was at the center of a feisty battle on Thursday night as Argentina and Uruguay clashed in a World Cup qualifier in Buenos Aires.

In the 20th minute, a heated row broke out between Uruguay defender Mathias Olivera and Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul.

It was only a verbal altercation at this point, but then Argentina captain Messi arrived on the scene to make it physical.

Messi first pushed his right elbow into Olivera's chest before briefly putting his left hand around the Uruguayan's neck.

Lionel Messi pictured (right) striking Mathias Olivera during a game between Argentina and Uruguay in November 2023
Lionel Messi pictured (right) striking Mathias Olivera during Thursday's game between Argentina and Uruguay / TV Pública

Olivera did not appear to be too bothered by Messi as he kept his wide eyes fixed on De Paul until the scrum was eventually broken up.

Remarkably, no player received a yellow or red card from referee Wilmer Roldan as a consequence of this altercation.

Uruguay went on to win 2-0 on Thursday thanks to goals from Ronald Araujo and Darwin Nunez.

Ronald Araujo (center) and Darwin Nunez (right) pictured celebrating during Uruguay's 2-0 win over Argentina in November 2023
Goals from Ronald Araujo (center) and Darwin Nunez (right) earned Uruguay a 2-0 win over Argentina :: IMAGO/Luciano Bisbal

Messi has been sent off three times during his senior career. Two of those red cards have come while he was playing for Argentina.

He was famously sent off on his international debut against Hungary in 2005. He then saw red again 14 years later against Chile at the 2019 Copa America.

The only red card of Messi's club career to date was issued during a 2021 Supercopa semi-final between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao.

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Robert Summerscales
ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.