Messi ‘apologised immediately’ after controversial tackle, says Algeria’s Aissa Mandi

Former Algeria defender Aissa Mandi has revealed that Lionel Messi apologised to him on the pitch straight after the challenge that caused major controversy during Algeria’s group-stage defeat by Argentina at the 2026 World Cup.

The incident occurred in the 31st minute of Argentina’s 3-0 win, just minutes after Messi had opened the scoring. The Argentina captain went in heavily on Mandi’s leg in a challenge that many refereeing analysts later argued should have resulted in a red card.

Polish referee Szymon Marciniak awarded only a free-kick and did not brandish a card, while the VAR officials also chose not to intervene. The Algerian Football Federation subsequently lodged an official complaint with FIFA over the handling of the incident.

Speaking on the Kampo podcast, Levante defender Mandi said Messi recognised immediately that he had overstepped the mark.

“Messi was aware that he made a mistake, so he came quickly to apologise and to check how I was,” Mandi said. “For my part, I told the referee the tackle was strong, and when I got back up I signalled that the incident should be reviewed with VAR.”

Different view on the pitch

Mandi explained that, in real time, he did not fully grasp how serious the challenge was, stressing the difference between the experience of players on the pitch and that of fans and analysts watching on television.

“The big difference between the fans watching on screen and us on the pitch is that they see a replay within seconds and immediately understand how heavy the tackle was, whereas we don’t have that advantage,” he said.

“I felt pain at the time, but I didn’t realise how dangerous the challenge had been until I went back to the dressing room. The pain got worse and people around me told me the incident was worthy of a red card. Then I saw the replay.”

Despite the uproar surrounding the tackle, Messi remained on the field and went on to score all three goals, completing a hat-trick that secured Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria.

Argentina’s World Cup campaign

That group-stage win formed part of a run that took Argentina all the way to the 2026 World Cup final.

Lionel Scaloni’s side eventually finished as runners-up after losing 1-0 to Spain after extra time in the final, a match in which Argentina had to play with 10 men following the sending-off of midfielder Enzo Fernandez.

Mandi steps away from international football

Mandi’s comments come shortly after he confirmed his retirement from international duty with Algeria.

The 32-year-old recently brought the curtain down on a distinguished career with the national team, having become the most-capped player in the history of the Desert Warriors.