On the morning of July 12, Lionel Messi made fans worried when playing with an injury to his right eye in Argentina’s 3-1 victory over Switzerland in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup.
The incident occurred in the second half, originating from an elbow thrust by midfielder Granit Xhaka of Switzerland while challenging the former Barcelona player. Notably, referee Wilton Pinheiro did not blow his whistle to stop the match to check the injury of the Argentina captain.
In an uncomfortable state, the star wearing the number 10 shirt had to take advantage of short breaks to pour water to wash the wound in order to alleviate the pain and clean the blood around his eye.
During the break of the second half, the medical staff of the Argentina team had to perform professional first-aid measures. After the cut was treated, even though the eyelid area was visibly swollen and the tear could still be observed from a distance, Messi resolutely stayed on the pitch until the final whistle blew.
After 120 minutes full of difficulties, the reigning World Cup champions defeated Switzerland with a score of 3-1 to win the right to advance. With this victory, Argentina officially enters the semi-finals to face the England team.
