Messi issues brutal put-down to Paraguay player alleged to have SPAT at him

Lionel Messi had a brutal putdown for an opponent who allegedly spat at him during Argentina's World Cup qualifier against Paraguay.

Replays showed Antonio Sanabria - like Messi, a Barcelona youth product - spitting in the star's direction after an exchange of words during Thursday night's match in Buenos Aires.

Messi wasn't facing in Sanabria's direction at the time and said he only found out post-match what had happened, delivering a brutal response to the Paraguay and Torino forward.

'The truth is that I didn't see it. They told me in the locker room that one of them had spit on me,' Messi said, as per Marca.

'The truth is, I don't even know who this guy is. I didn't see him. They only told me.

'I don't want to give important either because he's going to come out, talk everywhere and it's worse.

'It's going to become known, so it's better to leave it there.'

Sanabria sought to downplay the spitting incident in his post-match interview.

'I was looking at the image. It seems like I spit it out but, no, there's nothing to see. It was far away,' he told TyC Sports.

'Nothing happened with Messi. It seems like I spit out, but there's nothing to see, it was far way and I totally deny it.'

Sanabria, 27, was in Barcelona's youth sides when Messi, 36, was a star for the club between 2009 and 2014.

The Paraguayan forward didn't make a first-team appearance for Barcelona before he signed for Roma in 2014, initially spending time with Sassuolo.

He later returned to Spain with Real Betis and has been with Torino since 2021, scoring 12 times last season.

Argentina won Thursday night's match 1-0 to continue their perfect start to qualification for the 2026 World Cup in North America with three wins from three.

Nicolas Otamendi's early goal proved decisive with Messi only coming on for Julian Alvarez in the 53rd minute.