Watch: Lionel Messi headbutts Roma defender during altercation
During a preseason friendly between Roma and Barcelona, Lionel Messi headbutted and grabbed the neck of Roma defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.
It remains unclear exactly what happened, but as the two players exchanged words during a stoppage in play, the typically mild-mannered Messi channeled his inner Zinedine Zidane and delivered a headbutt to Yanga-Mbiwa's chest. Before anything could happen, Messi grabbed his opponent's neck with his left hand for a second before shoving him away. A referee then intervened.
Messi was given a yellow card for the incident, which took place in the 34th minute. Barcelona led 1-0 at the time. Messi scored the game's second goal seven minutes later. Barcelona went up 3-0 in the 66th minute behind Ivan Rakitic's goal.
Watch Messi's headbutt below:
#https://vine.co/v/eHluKuuLYju
- Jeremy Woo
