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How Lionel Messi’s Viral Nod at England Player Led to the Best Meme of the 2026 World Cup

Kristen Wong|
Lionel Messi helped Argentina beat England in the FIFA World Cup semifinal on Wednesday, and he produced an all-time banger of a meme in the process.
Lionel Messi helped Argentina beat England in the FIFA World Cup semifinal on Wednesday, and he produced an all-time banger of a meme in the process. | REUTERS

The only thing coming home for England this year is more tears and heartbreak after their semifinal loss to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup. And one viral Lionel Messi meme that likely only rubs more salt in the wound.

England saw their World Cup dreams shatter Wednesday as they gave up two goals within the final ten minutes against the inevitable comeback kings, Messi’s Argentina, to lose 2-1. In one of the most questionable tactical decisions of the tournament, England coach Thomas Tuchel almost immediately switched to an all-defensive lineup after Anthony Gordon gave the Three Lions a 1-0 lead in the 55th minute of the game. Tuchel’s “bus-parking” tactics ultimately backfired, with Argentina surging forward with every ounce of momentum for the last forty minutes—Messi ended up assisting both of La Albiceleste’s goals, including a right-foot cross of pinpoint accuracy to Lautaro Martínez for the game-winner.

Long before Argentina’s comeback was complete, Messi appeared to share a feisty moment with England midfielder Jude Bellingham over an uncalled foul. Early in the first half, Messi and Bellingham were seen exchanging some words in a tense on-field confrontation between the two marquee stars.

Here’s a closer look at the ex-Barca player and Madridista going at it:

At the end of their conversation, you can see Messi raise his eyebrows, stick out his lower lip and nod at Bellingham in a confident yet combative manner, an uncharacteristic gesture from Argentina’s usually quiet and demure superstar. His facial expression to Bellingham seemed to say: “O.K. Game on.”

Messi’s viral retaliatory nod has since turned into one of the greatest memes at the World Cup, with plenty of soccer fans getting in on the fun on social media:

What Jude Bellingham said about viral confrontation with Lionel Messi in England-Argentina semifinal

Bellingham opened up about his brief run-in with the GOAT in a postgame media availability after England’s 2-1 elimination loss.

“We were discussing a foul, actually,” Bellingham said. “But it was nothing bad. I’m sure everyone will do their thing and make it a big deal. But no, it was nothing really.

“I thought there was a foul earlier and he said, ‘Well what about the one on me?’ and I was kind of saying, ‘You're strong enough to take it,’ you know what I mean?”

The 23-year-old midfielder, who’s bagged six goals at this World Cup, was seen trying to hold back tears after the final whistle as he shook Argentina players’s hands—well, most of them. He additionally started a postgame scuffle with Argentina sub Valentín Barco in which he slapped Barco on the back of the head.

Bellingham couldn’t help but give Messi his deserved flowers following the heart-wrenching result, though.

“It's a privilege to play against [Messi],” said Bellingham. “There was nothing against him. I’m obviously on the losing side which hurts a lot, but it’s a privilege to go against him.”

Lionel Messi’s magical run with Argentina at the 2026 World Cup

Four years after clinching his first-ever World Cup in Qatar in 2022, Lionel Messi is on the verge of winning it again.

The 39-year-old has captained a never-say-die Argentina team to a World Cup final matchup against Spain on Sunday at MetLife Stadium against all odds—despite what the conspiracy theorists will try to tell you.

Every single one of Argentina’s knockout games were anxiety-inducing thrillers: after topping their group, the South American side outlasted Cape Verde in extra time in the round of 32, scraped by Egypt in a controversial 3-2 victory in the round of 16, defeated Switzerland 3-1 in the quarterfinal and then triumphed over their most difficult opponent thus far, England (ranked fourth in the world by FIFA), in the semifinal.

It definitely goes without saying, but Argentina would not be here without their little magic man, Lionel Messi. Messi is currently tied with France’s Kylian Mbappe in the Golden Boot race (eight goals) but his contributions extend far beyond kicking balls into the back of the net. Heading into Wednesday’s semifinal against England, the Inter Miami star forward led his team in assists (two), chances created (21), successful dribbles per 90 minutes (2.5) and crosses (12) in World Cup play.

Messi then notched a pair of assists against England, who seemingly did its best to prevent him from scoring but couldn’t entirely take away the dangerous threat he posed. A simple example of how Messi influences opposing defenses can be seen on Argentina’s game-tying goal in the 85th minute, when Messi was dribbling the ball on the right side of the box in the attacking third. As he prepared to cut in on his dominant left foot, England midfielder Elliot Anderson rushed over to help left back Djed Spence defend and block any potential shooting lanes. In doing so, he left Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernández wide open at the top of the box. Messi passed it to Fernández, who had been flirting with a long-range goal for much of the second half, and the rest is history.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020 and has a bachelor’s in English and linguistics from Columbia University. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. She is a lifelong Liverpool fan who enjoys solving crossword puzzles and hanging out at her neighborhood dive bar in NYC.

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