Jul 02, 2026 11:51 am IST

Ringside View | Do Legends Like Messi Get Different Treatment? Football's Uncomfortable Question Refuses To Go Away

History suggests that football's biggest names often find themselves at the centre of decisions that leave rivals wondering whether reputation carries its own invisible advantage.

Rica Roy Rica Roy Sports Editor, NDTV 24x7

Rica Roy Sports Editor, NDTV 24x7

Lionel Messi's Argentina have made their way back in the knockout rounds of the FIFA World Cup. Standing between them and the Round of 16 is Cape Verde, who one of the tournament's biggest surprises. Indian fans will get to witness that contest on Saturday night. But as the football world focuses on the contest itself, around the ring, another debate has once again taken centre stage.Do football's biggest stars play by the same rules as everyone else?

It is an uncomfortable question to ask. This question itself sits somewhere between perception and reality. Referees are expected to be impartial, the Laws of the Game make no distinction between an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and a first-time international. Yet history suggests that football's biggest names often find themselves at the centre of decisions that leave rivals wondering whether reputation carries its own invisible advantage.

The latest controversy surrounding Argentina happened in their group-stage match against Algeria. Messi escaped without being booked after a studs-up challenge on captain Aissa Mandi. Referee Szymon Marciniak decided to only award a free-kick. The VAR was not called in to decide, no yellow card either.

After scanning through several commentaries of football pundits and referees it seems they are divided on the issue. Some say the moment did not need a yellow/red card because there was no excessive force or intent. Others argue the studs made contact high enough to justify at least a second look. That is a grey area, and debating in the grey often does not have a clear outcome. Those decisions live in football's grey areas. They're neither obvious mistakes nor clear-cut calls. And more often than not, it is the game's biggest names who appear to come away with the benefit of the doubt.

Messi has been here before.

Earlier in this World Cup, Argentina's opener against Austria was clouded by controversy when Alexis Mac Allister seemed to........

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