Messi embraces Maxi Rodríguez before Argentina’s World Cup clash with Jordan

Lionel Messi leaned in to embrace and kiss Maxi Rodríguez before Argentina faced Jordan at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, turning a brief sideline greeting into a recurring pre-match scene for the reigning world champion. The moment came as Argentina closed Group J in Dallas, where the stands were already heavy with Argentine fans and the tournament spotlight had again settled on Messi.

The exchange carried meaning well beyond the touchline. Messi and Maxi Rodríguez both came through Newell’s Old Boys in Rosario, and FIFA has framed their bond as one built over years inside the Argentina national team. In that telling, Maxi is more than an old teammate: he is one of the few people who know Messi’s competitive drive up close.

Their shared history reaches through two of Argentina’s defining tournament moments. Maxi Rodríguez scored the famous goal against Mexico in the round of 16 at Germany 2006, and he later converted the decisive penalty against the Netherlands in Brazil 2014, sending Argentina into the final. FIFA highlighted those episodes as part of the record Messi and Maxi carry together, a lineage that now gives their public embrace added weight in a World Cup setting.

Telemundo described the greeting in Dallas as a hug and a kiss, and noted that it had already taken on the shape of a ritual before each Argentina match in this World Cup. That framing fit the broader scene around the team in Arlington, where Messi remained the central draw and every familiar gesture around him was magnified by the scale of the event.

Telemundo also captured an earlier reunion between the two during training before Argentina’s debut, when Messi and Maxi shared a warm embrace on the field. The repetition of those moments, first in training and then again before Jordan, has folded a personal friendship into Argentina’s tournament routine, with each public greeting reinforcing the sense of continuity around Messi’s last major international stage.