‘I text Messi and insult him after matches’ - Luis Suarez falls short of words for Inter Miami teammate amid World Cup

Lionel Messi started his FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign in style, scoring all of Argentina's five goals as the defending champions began their title quest in the United States. Making his sixth World Cup appearance, the Argentine skipper, Messi, started with a maiden World Cup hattrick against Algeria, followed by two more against Austria which made him the all-time leading goal scorer, past Germany's Miroslav Klose.

Uruguayan star Luis Suarez, who was snubbed by Marcelo Bielsa in this World Cup, wasn't surprised with Messi's self-demand, having known the Argentina captain both personally and professionally for several years.

“I text him and insult him after matches. I tell him: ‘Enough!’ There are no words, no way to congratulate him that can define him," Suarez, who shares the same dressing room with Messi at Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, told Spanish media outlets Mundo Deportivo, El País and El Larguero.

According to Suarez, one just needs to sit back and enjoy Messi. "You just have to applaud and enjoy him, as a fan of the game. You just turn on the TV—every match surprises you. I’m happy to see him happy and enjoying his World Cup. He doesn’t need to prove anything, but he’s so competitive that he wants to keep being the best,” added Suarez, who played four World Cups - 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 - for Uruguay.

Messi's hunger for improvement defines him

Messi has been instrumental in both of Argentina's win's so far. Not only he twisted and turned and outfoxed the opposition defenders, he took the team along with him. Suarez revealed the intelligence of Messi stating that the 39-year-old knows when to go all in and when to hold back. Messi's constant desire to improve defines him, according to Suarez.

Suarez also spoke about how well-prepared Messi is for the World Cup. “I’ve been training with him here for a while now, and I know how well he prepared for this World Cup. A lot of people speculated, thinking he was getting old. But Leo still has that hunger to keep being the best, to keep competing," Suarez said.

"The other day was just another example of his mental strength. He missed a penalty after four or five minutes and then kept pushing, pushing. Imagine if he had lost heart and all of Argentina had collapsed—that would have shown weakness. But he proved he can bounce back, keep going, and he ended up scoring two goals,” explained Suarez.

What's next for Lionel Messi?

With the round of 32 spot already secured, Messi won't start against debutants Jordan in their final Group J encounter on Sunday, head coach Lionel Scaloni revealed. "Will come in a little bit later," Scaloni said through an interpreter during the pre-match press conference.

Scaloni didn't say when Messi might substitute in to the game, or what his lineup would be against first-time World Cup participant Jordan, which lost its first two matches.

Get all updates from FIFA World Cup 2026 here, along with FIFA World Cup 2026 Complete Schedule and FIFA World Cup 2026 Points Table.