Harry Kane Warns Against Messi's Fury in FIFA World Cup Semifinal Loss

Harry Kane's words of caution against Lionel Messi's wrath have gone viral, but is the quote real? The England captain allegedly warned Jude Bellingham against approaching Messi on the field, saying: "You can’t wake the beast in him and expect nothing to happen. The moment you give him that extra motivation, he’ll punish you."

What happened?

On July 15, England lost to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup semifinal match, with the latter taking a 2-1 lead. The match saw Messi lay two late goals to Lautaro Martinez and Enzo Fernandez, assuring Argentina's victory. England's Anthony Gordon made an early goal, giving the team a 55th-minute lead in the match.

Why it matters for Harry Kane

The viral quote has sparked curiosity about what Bellingham and Messi's argument was about. However, the account behind the post has clarified that the quote is fictional. Harry Kane's real statement about Messi was: "I felt like for the large parts of the game, we dealt with him really well. But as always with the most dangerous players in the world, when they had the ball in the final third, they can create something. And he's done that again today. He's obviously one of the best players ever for a reason."

What comes next?

After defeating England, Argentina has secured its spot in the FIFA World Cup final, where it will face Spain on July 19. Harry Kane expressed his disappointment with their performance, saying: "Once we went 1-0 up we seemed to just try and hold on which at this level is just not enough, so I'm gutted. We worked so hard to be here. The lads have given every last bit of running, sweat, blood, tears, whatever it is, so to fall short like today is just gutting.