On July 21, Carlton Cole, who once played for Chelsea, criticized Messi, accusing him of not playing a positive role he should have in the Enzo incident and being selfish, which deserves condemnation.
After helping Argentina win the Copa America, Enzo sang a racist song about the French team during a live broadcast, causing an uproar. As the situation escalated, Enzo eventually apologized under public pressure.
Following the incident, Cole stated that Messi should take responsibility: “In this situation, everyone is looking at Messi; we need to hear from him. He must step up and speak out. This isn’t just Enzo’s fault. As captain of Argentina, Messi needs to intervene and stop such behavior. However, Messi seemed indifferent, not caring about public opinion or the feelings of his former teammates. This behavior shows that Messi is very selfish and deserves condemnation.”
In this year’s Copa America, Argentina advanced through the rounds to reach the final, winning the title by defeating Colombia 1-0 after extra time.