Argentina are on a mission at the FIFA World Cup 2026 to become the first team this century to lift the trophy in consecutive editions. Their hopes are once again being led by skipper Lionel Messi, who took his tournament tally to 20 in a thrilling 3-2 win over Cape Verde in the Round of 16.
However, while La Albiceleste weave their magic on the field, there might be sinister plotting brewing against them in the virtual world.
Screenshot of an email has recently gone viral on social media alleging a negative public relations campaign being run against Messi and co. The post claims that the perpetrators of the crusade go by the name of PR360 Sports Communication, a Madrid-based agency supposedly hired by Cristiano Ronaldo.
While at no point in the email is Messi mentioned, its deliverables include “tweeting agenda/narrative against selected players” and “amplifying certain storylines (eg. ‘robbery’, ’biased refs’)”. In return, they offer “attractive compensation” and “increased visibility through co-ordinated trend pushes”.
In the aftermath of the ‘expose’, several creator posts have gone viral showcasing the campaign ostensibly in action. The most pertinent is a claim by @TheMasterBucks on X that FIFA is rigging the World Cup for Argentina.
Suspiciously, the tweet has been flagged by the platform as a paid partnership. What adds to the storyline is that less than a week ago, the same account had posted a similar tweet, only with Portugal as the intended beneficiaries of fixing in the World Cup.
"If you believe this you're genuinely a subhuman"lol https://t.co/anAwnYtNMk pic.twitter.com/lcN4TQbiok
— Dexx (@fcb_dexx) July 5, 2026
Similarly, an X account with the handle @kirawontmiss has posted several times over the past couple of days defacing Argentina. They range from Messi escaping a potential red card in the first game of the tournament against Algeria, to the referee failing to award foul calls to Cape Verde. The agenda is further enhanced by a tweet supporting Portugal to win the tournament.
However, their post history showcases tweets in the past in favour of Messi. One such from February 2025 labels the Argentina talisman as bigger than the entire Super Bowl.
Before getting paid After getting paid https://t.co/zSIigweFs3 pic.twitter.com/jLJVxSfUfd
— Dexx (@fcb_dexx) July 5, 2026
Nevertheless, a cursory glance at the email in question suggests it is the work of AI. Be it the extensive use of emojis, multiple bulleted lists, or the division of content into clear sections. No link has also been established between Ronaldo and the PR agency, given the former’s operations are handled by his long-term agent Jorge Mendes who runs Gestifute.
In fact, there has been no official confirmation yet of the source of the email. Several news websites have confidently suggested the origin to be a satire page, but have failed to name the source in question.
It is not the first time Messi and Argentina have come under fire online in a coordinated way. After they lifted the World Cup in 2022, they were accused of having the tournament rigged for them by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The claims were based on the fact that the side had been awarded five penalties, the most for a single team in a single edition in World Cup history.
Regardless of the off-field noise, Albiceleste will undoubtedly be focused on progressing in the World Cup based on merit. Messi’s men are slated to take on Egypt next in the Round of 16, in Atlanta on Tuesday.
Messi is currently leading the goalscoring charts along with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland with seven strikes, but has a game in hand. The 39-year-old would no doubt be eager to snatch back the solo lead and in the process book a quarterfinal spot for Argentina.
