UNBELIEVABLE: Lionel Messi leads Argentina players' reaction to their controversial loss to Morocco at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

• Lionel Messi is not the only Argentina national team player to comment on their controversial loss to Morocco
• Argentina suffered a 2-1 loss to Morocco in their opening match at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France
• The Barcelona legend was joined by other Argentine players and the country's U-23 coach in reacting to poor officiating

Lionel Messi has led Argentina players in reacting to their Olympic team's controversial loss to Morocco in their opening game at the Stade Geoffroy Guichard on Wednesday, July 24.

Argentina thought they had rescued a point with a late goal by Cristian Medina in the stoppage time after coming from two goals down.

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) ruled out the goal two hours later after the game was initially suspended due to fans invading the pitch, which forced security officials to intervene.

Cristian Medina scores his team's second goal that is later disallowed during the Men's Group B match between Argentina and Morocco at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. Photo: Tullio M. Puglia.
Source: Getty Images

Messi, Argentina players react to Morocco's loss

The controversial VAR ruling stirred different reactions from fans on social media, with Argentina players also joining them.

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CBS Sports Golazo compiled all the reactions from Argentina's national team players, with Messi and the U-23 coach Javier Mascherano leading the way.

The Barcelona legend took to his official page on Instagram to put out a rare post:

"Unbelievable," the former Paris Saint-Germain star posted.

Mascherano claimed it was the biggest circus he'd ever seen since he started playing professional football.

"The biggest circus I've ever seen in my life," the Argentina U-23 coach said.

Rodrigo De Paul also lends his voice to support his country's under-23 team.

"More than ever with you! You can overcome everything," the Atletico Madrid said.

Nicolas Otamendi, who is the captain of the team, also reacted to their controversial loss.

"It's a historic embarrassment. Nothing like this has ever happened. Morocco didn't want to player neither did we. We waited for an hour and forty minutes, but no one told us anything. It makes you feel powerless because these are the Olympic Games."

Nico Tagliafico also condemned his country's unfair treatment at the games.

"Leaving the circus aside, are we going to talk about the reason it was suspended, or are we going to keep playing dumb? If it had been the other way around, I can't imagine what they would be saying."

Messi picks 2024 Ballon d'Or contenders

In another report, Legit.ng disclosed that Messi has named Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe among the frontrunners for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award but has excluded Jude Bellingham from the race.

The England midfielder, who had a stellar debut season with Real Madrid, is expected to provide stiff competition to whoever is in the running for the prize.

The Ballon d’Or, which both Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi have largely dominated over the last decade, saw the Argentina captain add another to his record-extending accolade following his triumph at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Source: Briefly.co.za