Messi responds to Ugarte after obscene gesture in Argentina-Uruguay match: He has to learn respect

Argentina's men's national team lost its undefeated record of almost a year after losing 2-0 at home against Uruguay in yet another edition of the Clasico del Rio de la Plata in the Conmebol qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, where the world champions were clearly frustrated.

The Albiceleste had not lost since last November 22, when they lost to Saudi Arabia in their Qatar 2022 debut, having gone 14 official games without defeat, with 12 wins and two draws. However, as usual, the match ended quite heated.

Messi responds to Uruguay's insults

During the match, Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte made an obscene gesture towards Rodrigo De Paul where the cameras showed that he also used foul language towards Lionel Messi, which caused the anger of the Argentines, including the alluded eight-time Ballon d'Or winner.

The Argentine captain spoke to the media about the incident and mentioned that Ugarte as well as the other young players have to learn 'to respect'.

What's next for Argentina?

Despite the defeat, the reigning world champions remain first in the South American Qualifiers with 12 points, with Uruguay climbing to second place with 10 points.

The Albiceleste's next game will be against Brazil on November 22, with the Canarinha suffering their second consecutive defeat in qualifying, dropping to fifth place with 7 points.