IShowSpeed’s full-hearted commitment to the art of distraction was on full display during a pivotal World Cup moment this week.
As the usual clip accounts on X have surely already informed you, Speed was ideally positioned when Argentina’s Lionel Messi missed a penalty during his team’s ultimately victorious match against Egypt on Tuesday (July 7). Naturally, given the streaming star’s well-documented disdain for Messi, who’s often cited as the best footballer in history, social media chatter has posited that Speed was directly responsible for the miss.
But, what’s the truth? Below, we take a closer look, all while acknowledging that it’s not exactly possible to definitively determine such a thing without getting Messi himself on the record.
What did IShowSpeed say about it?
Speed, of course, was streaming during Messi’s penalty miss on Tuesday, which actually marked his second of the World Cup.
“Messi, look at me!” he was seen shouting in the seconds before Messi’s attempt, with some signature barks tucked in for good measure. “Yes, right here! Right here!”
When Messi missed, Speed was visibly shocked, turning to the camera to make his befuddlement clear.
“It worked?” he asked in amazement. “I distracted Messi!”
What is social media claiming?
Echoing Speed’s suggestion that he may have been the impetus behind Messi’s failed penalty, social media has been alive with the sounds of speculation ever since.
Some have gone so far as to share a screenshot of the game, highlighting what is said to have been Speed’s seat during the match. Others have simply restated the assertion that he alone was to blame for the temporary stumble from the proven superstar, using Speed’s own footage to back up the claim.
What actually happened?
That’s hard to say. What’s definitely true is that, yes, Messi missed the penalty shot, and yes, a distraction-minded Speed was conceivably in view while he did so.
Given the caliber of a player like Messi, and given that this wasn’t his first penalty miss amid World Cup festivities, it seems unlikely that Speed was the outright culprit here.
What is Speed and Messi’s history?
Speed is a devoted fan of Cristiano Ronaldo, a stance that no doubt fuels his playful, but consistent, reactions to Messi’s moments of glory.
The examples of this in motion are numerous. Last year, Speed’s own fans trolled him with a Messi chant during an IRL stream in Croatia, leading to him jokingly wondering if it would be okay to “kill them.” More recently, Speed commemorated a prior Messi penalty miss by hitting a backflip, though this moment of personal joy proved to be short-lived.
