Football fights: 6 times Lionel Messi has got into a fight on a football pitch
Fight with Bolivia’s Ronald Raldes (2011)
The spat in the 2016 Copa America was not the first time Lionel Messi had squared up to a player from Bolivia. That distinction goes to Ronald Raldes. The Bolivian defender became a cult hero after going toe to toe with the Argentinean ace.
Argentina and Bolivia played out a 1-1 draw. A frustrated Messi, looking for a win, got into an argument with Raldes after being blocked away from the ball. He then proceeded to go head-to-head against the centre-back, while saying a few words with his hand over his mouth, before his teammates intervened.
Bolivian fans flocked to social media sites to praise Raldes and his set-to with Messi. The Chilean media also got in on the act with La Cuarta daily suggesting that “Bolivian defender Ronald Raldesis more popular than (President) Evo Morales,” who attended the game as a big football fan.
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