24 March 2023 , 10:32
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Lionel Messi has risked harming his reputation at Paris Saint-Germain after he sung an anti-France song following Argentina's first game since winning the World Cup.
La Albiceleste claimed their third title back in December after beating France on penalties in Qatar. It was a frantic final which ended 3-3 after extra-time, but Messi's Argentina came out on top in the shootout.
Lionel Scaloni's side, however, returned to action on Thursday evening as they welcomed Panama to Buenos Aires. Before the game, the fans were certainly in fine voice as they toasted their heroes on an emotional night in South America.
Messi appeared to be in tears as the Argentina faithful got behind their team and serenaded them onto the pitch for the first time since that famous win over France. However, the supporters may have expected a better performance from their side against a team ranked 61st in the world.
Argentina scraped past Panama 2-0 at Estadio Monumental thanks to goals from Thiago Almada and Messi in front of over 80,000 jubilant fans. After the game, the players, coaching staff and families decided to stay on the pitch and celebrate with the supporters.
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One song they sang, however, included a line that hammered France. A video, that has now gone viral on social media, appeared to show Messi join in with the rest of the Argentina squad. As translated in English, it read: "A minute of silence for... France, they are dead."
Lionel Messi (Daniel Jayo/Getty)With Messi still currently at PSG, a song of that nature is not likely to go down well with the supporters - and the rest of his France-based teammates. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is out of contract this summer and was booed by sections of the PSG fanbase during their defeat against Rennes on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe endured some feud with the Argentina players after the final, including Emi Martinez, who appeared to mock Mbappe after holding up a baby doll with his face on during their trophy parade.
The Aston Villa goalkeeper also caught the headlines when he performed a lewd gesture after winning the Golden Glove. He said he regretted the incident in February - but was back doing the exactly same thing, this time with the World Cup trophy.
Argentina players including Emi Martinez with the World Cup trophySome of his Argentina colleagues joined in with Martinez this time, while his wife was also involved in the celebrations. This was despite saying three days earlier: "My wife told me: 'Please, you’re not going to do that thing again' I told her, no love, stay calm."
Each player was given a replica World Cup trophy and they certainly made the most of it as they walked around the stadium to thank every corner of the ground for their support. Some of the Panama players also appeared to join in and congratulate the Argentina squad.
Messi then spoke to the crowd and said: "I always dreamed of this moment and to celebrate with you. With my country, Argentina. I don't want to forget all the teammates I had before because we also did everything possible to get it. Let's enjoy the third star."