Lionel Messi has broken his silence following the recent events in which Kylian Mbappé’s name was at the centre of a huge controversy on social media. On Wednesday night, Mbappé’s Twitter account was hacked, and several insulting messages were posted, including one that directly attacked Messi, calling him a “dwarf” and declaring that Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player of all time.

The posts, which also mentioned an alleged transfer of Mbappé to Manchester United and the promotion of a digital token called ‘MBAPPE’, were quickly deleted after the account was recovered. However, the damage was already done, and the incident went viral, sparking a wave of criticism on social media.

In response to this situation, Messi decided to address the issue directly. The Argentine star, who currently plays for Inter Miami, expressed his surprise at the statements and pointed out that it is not typical of Mbappé to make such comments. “I know Kylian and I know that these words do not represent what he really thinks. He is a player of great quality and a person with values. It is unfortunate that situations like this can damage his image,” Messi said in a statement.

Messi added: “Football is a sport that brings people together, and we must all strive to maintain respect, on and off the pitch.”

Mbappé also issued a statement after regaining control of his account, clarifying that he was not the one who posted those messages and that he is working with his team to prevent similar incidents from happening again. “I would never say something like that about a colleague, much less about someone I respect as much as Lionel. I am focused on my job with Real Madrid and on giving my best in every game,” said the young Frenchman.

This incident, although unfortunate, seems to have been cleared up by both parties, and fans hope that the two players continue to shine in their respective careers without this type of controversy affecting their performance on the field.