Few rivalries in football history have been as big and spectacular as Brazil vs. Argentina. Expectations were therefore high for another intense, end-to-end fight between South America’s best when the two titans squared off again on Tuesday night. Argentina claimed bragging rights with a decisive 4-1 victory, and the contest lived up to expectations.
As anticipated, there were a lot of heated confrontations between the two sets of players during the World Cup qualifying match, where Argentina has already guaranteed their place at the top of the group. The increasing hostilities between Raphinha and his Argentine neighbours, however, might go unnoticed by neutral supporters. Throughout the match, the Barcelona forward—a strong candidate for this year’s Ballon d’Or—was subjected to constant physical altercations. See an example of this below:
Raphinha leaving the pitch with Argentina players around him. pic.twitter.com/nYMt0hmlPX
— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) March 26, 2025
Members of the world champions’ team weren’t shy about attacking the Brazilian after Argentina’s resounding victory. However, the animosity has a rationale behind all the turmoil.
Raphinha’s Argentina Animosity Explained
The winger spoke far too soon as Brazil were humiliated
Raphinha’s belief that Brazil will win the match because Lionel Messi was injured is the root of the animosity between Argentina and Raphinha. The former Leeds United winger issued a clear message to his competitors in an interview with fellow countryman Romario. According to the Daily Mail, he stated:
“I have no doubt that we will defeat them. If necessary, both on and off the pitch.”
Raphinha vs Argentina:
0 Goals/Assists
0 Key Passes
0 Shots on Goal
0 Dribbles
11 Possessions Lost
16,833 WordsGIVE HIM BANTER D’OR 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/9XoJbzWwnj
— Hater Central (@TheHateCentral) March 26, 2025
When Romario asked Raphinha if he was going to “f*** them” during that same chat, he said, “f*** them.” When the final whistle blew, the Argentina players quickly reminded the Brazilian of the scoreline, thus his X-rated prediction didn’t sit well with them.
The Reaction of Argentina’s Players
They have been ready to show humility. Raphinha
A lot of the anger was unavoidably directed at Raphinha, with Argentina supporters yelling “sub off Raphinha, you son of a b***h” and Enzo Fernandez telling him he “talks too much” in one very heated incident. Julian Alvarez, a goal scorer who has recently been linked to Liverpool, likewise subtly responded to the remarks made by his La Liga rivals by saying:
“We might have scored two or three more goals if Leo Messi had been on the pitch.”
Nicolas Otamendi also joined in, as he was spotted ordering the Barcelona player to “talk less” in another scene. View the incident below:
"Talk less" is said by Otamendi to Raphinha as they clash in the Brazil vs Argentina game…
Now this is a proper football rivalry 👏 pic.twitter.com/q2gXRmMgIq
— george (@StokeyyG2) March 26, 2025
Marquinhos, the captain of Brazil, responded to the humiliating defeat with far more composure. He apologised to the Brazil supporters and refrained from joining the current conflict. He said, “What we did here today can’t happen again,” to Globo in Brazil. In the heat of the moment, it’s difficult to discuss it. It’s embarrassing.
“They’re having a fantastic run of confidence, and we started the game far worse than we could have. They were skilled at playing cleverly. I feel bad for our fans. The coach isn’t solely to blame. The players are also to blame; in football, there is no magic formula where you make a decision and it works out. We can all perform better. We must take some of the responsibility.
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