Former PSV player sees world-class star escape: “He just should have handled it with red”

Last night was also time for reigning world champions Argentina to kick off the 2026 World Cup. The Argentinians left nothing to chance and thanks to a hat-trick by captain and star player Lionel Messi, they won 3-0 against Algeria in Kansas City.

Still, there was a debatable decision in which Messi seemed to escape a red card after a foul on defender Aïssa Mandi. The captain placed his studs on Mandi’s Achilles tendon and got away without a card.

Even VAR did not consider it necessary to call referee Szymon Marciniak over. This is causing surprise for former PSV striker and current ESPN analyst Danny Koevermans.

In addition to analyst, Koevermans is also active as an amateur referee and the former forward is very clear: Messi should have gone to the side with red. ''Yes, Messi. Listen, I am an absolute Messi fan. Also in the discussion with regard to Ronaldo, there is no doubt as far as I’m concerned. But it seems that there are different rules that apply to him than to others again and again. We should actually start with the hat-trick, but he should have just gone off with red'', Koef is clear in conversation with ESPN.

Then Koevermans goes into the stories about the Argentine world footballer possibly receiving protection from FIFA. ''You almost start believing in conspiracy theories. How could he possibly get away with this? That’s really very dubious, you know. It leaves a really nasty aftertaste. It’s purely because it’s Messi. I still think he’s by far the best; he also shows that again tonight. He shouldn’t have been on the pitch any longer, but it’s El Grande Messi,'' says the analyst.

Despite the fact that Koef is a great admirer of the Argentine, this offense leaves a nasty aftertaste for the former striker. ''I want to give him all the superlatives and, of course, it’s fantastic that he’s scored three, but as a fan I have mixed feelings about this,'' said Koevermans.