(Reuters) - Lionel Messi has poured cold water on the idea of a heated rivalry between Argentina and Mexico, saying that the alleged tensions between the teams simply do not exist.

Video footage of an incident in the dressing room after the Mexico v Argentina group match at the 2022 Qatar World Cup appeared to show Messi nudging Mexico captain Andres Guardado's jersey, sparking a media storm.

"They put themselves in a position of having a rivalry with us that doesn't really exist," Messi told Simplemente Futbol.