Before their match, Lionel Messi caught his World Cup opponent off guard with a surprise gesture in English.
Lionel Messi surprised one player he faced at the World Cup by speaking to him in English. Messi, who almost never speaks English in public, has been a football star for over 20 years and has been playing in Major League Soccer since 2023.
The Argentina captain met a familiar opponent when he led his team in Miami, where he also plays for MLS champions Inter Miami. Steven Moreira, a 31-year-old defender for Columbus Crew, was one of many players born and raised in France but who played for other countries. Moreira, a former player for Rennes, Lorient, and Toulouse, had already been with Columbus Crew for a couple of seasons before he got his first call-up for Cape Verde in 2023.
Moreira played a key role as Cape Verde reached the round of 32, where he faced Messi again. After the World Cup break, Moreira, now back in Columbus, shared in an interview how Messi surprised him. “Everyone was asking if Messi would recognize me,” he said. “I told them yes, because we play against each other in MLS. Then Messi came up and said, ‘Hi, how are you? Congratulations on everything.’ And he said it in English, which caught me off guard.”
Moreira also talked about the thrilling match where Cape Verde pushed the world champions to extra time. Cape Verde scored twice, but Argentina’s third goal decided the game. Moreira, who played all 120 minutes plus all group matches, called the experience “amazing” and said it put his country on the world stage. “I’m very proud,” he said. “We gave it our all in that game.”
Cape Verde was one of the surprises of the World Cup. Their draw against Spain stood out, and their veteran goalkeeper Vozinha became a fan favorite. Vozinha doesn’t currently have a club after leaving Portuguese team Chaves but is reportedly close to signing with Chile’s Colo Colo. Overall, Cape Verde really caught the world’s attention during their first World Cup.