Messi
Lionel Messi of Argentina gestures after the Semifinal match between United States and Argentina at NRG Stadium as part of Copa America Centenario US 2016 on June 21, 2016 in Houston, Texas, US. Omar Vega/LatinContent/Getty Images

A national news publication has become the center of attention after calling one of the "Best Soccer Players in the World" by the wrong name!

USA Today Sports might have gotten the memo that Messi is kind of a big deal, but somehow, they failed to get his name right. On a tweet that was published Monday, ahead of the semifinals match where Argentina went head-to-head with U.S.A., the news publication shared an article about Messi being an obstacle for USMNT's Copa América dream. Their tweet, however, mentioned another person... not Lionel Messi.

"Leonardo Messi, Argentina stand in way of historic run by U.S. soccer at Copa America," read the tweet published Monday afternoon. Although USA Today Sports quickly offered their apologies, they became an easy target for Internet trolls. "Apologies. Yes. Lionel Messi is the star of Argentina," posted the publication on its Twitter account.

Messi
Who is Leonardo Messi? Twitter/USAToday

On the other hand, people on the Internet were having the time of their lives creating memes. Some even went as far as comparing Messi to Leonardo DiCaprio, Leonardo Da Vinci and Leonardo from the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." The reactions were epic and priceless, but first, let us highlight LIONEL Messi's historic goal during the first semifinals match Tuesday night in Houston, Texas.

The Argentine national team beat the U.S.A team with a score of 4-0, securing their spot in the Copa América final. Two of the four goals were thanks to Messi, who made history at the game. With his 55th goal, Messi surpassed legendary player Gabriel Batistuta’s 54-goal tally, making him the biggest scorer in Argentina’s history.

The FC Barcelona forward broke the record with a free kick that went straight to the net through the top right corner. “I am happy to have surpassed Batistuta’s record and I want to thank my teammates, it’s theirs as well,” said the 28-year-old footballer.

Argentina will face Chile on the last game of the centenario at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 26. The last time Argentina took the Copa América title was in 1993. Will Leonardo... sorry, Lionel help his team win in 2016?

© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.