Messi and his Argentinian team-mates put an end to their trophy drought by winning the Copa America in 2021 – and haven't stopped winning since.
Javier Mascherano, the coach of Argentina's Olympic football squad, said Wednesday that a video showing racist chants by national team players after they won the Copa America was "taken out of context".
The video, posted by Argentina international Fernandez on his Instagram account, featured a song sung by some of the Argentina squad about France's players.
Lionel Messi will miss Inter Miami's next two Major League Soccer matches after injuring his right ankle in Argentina's Copa America final triumph, Miami coach Gerardo Martino said Tuesday.
The French Football Federation (FFF) said on Tuesday it plans to lodge a complaint with FIFA and take legal action after racist chants from members of Argentina's Copa America winning team.
The chants were heard during a live video posted on social media by Chelsea and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez from the team bus in the wake of the Copa victory over Colombia in Miami on Sunday.
"The Copa America is over and the first thing I want to thank everyone for the messages and greetings," Messi said on Instagram, one day after injuring his right ankle in the Copa final against Colombia in Miami.
Sunday's final, which Colombia lost to Argentina, started over an hour late after police initiated a lockdown that left hundreds of fans stuck outside Florida's Hard Rock Stadium. Videos on social media showed security scuffling with fans attempting to breach the gates.
From the depths of despair to the heights of glory, Argentina's redemption story is a testament to perseverance and the indomitable spirit of camaraderie.
Messi returned to action on Thursday in Argentina's quarter-final win against Ecuador after missing the final group-stage match due to injury. He played the entire game, but looked physically hampered.
Uruguay's diligence and resilience under pressure after going a man down against Brazil in Saturday's Copa America quarterfinal victory put the team's distinctive character in the spotlight, coach Marcelo Bielsa said.
The 32-year-old has impressed in the run by 2001 champions Colombia to the semi-finals, with his outstanding vision and defence-splitting passes leading to him notching five assists - tied with Lionel Messi (2021) for most assists in a single edition of the tournament.
Brazil had failed to impress at the tournament, drawing twice in the group stage while beating only Paraguay before their second straight quarter-final exit from a major tournament following the 2022 World Cup.
"To finish with penalties and winning, I was able to save one... The truth is that it is a tremendous happiness that this group deserves, the country deserves it. We are very excited, so we are going for more," said Uruguay goalkeeper Sergio Rochet.
Uruguay, who finished the game with ten men after Nahitan Nandez was sent off in the 74th minute, will face Colombia in Charlotte, North Carolina, in their semi-final on Wednesday.
James Rodriguez delivered another top class performance for Colombia, creating two goals and scoring a penalty as Panama were put to the sword.
"We're going to face the best team in the world in the semi-finals. We're excited about it," Marsch said after Friday's win.
Uruguay, who won all three of their group matches and scored eight goals to finish top of Group C, will be hoping to progress to the semi-finals and the coach will be looking to implement his high-pressing attacking style against the Brazilians.
“One more step... We suffered a lot against a tough opponent. We passed to the semis thanks to the work of everyone and on top of that we have the best goalkeeper in the world @emi_martinez26. Go Argentina!” Messi wrote on Instagram.
