Lionel Messi’s pizza order dubbed ‘worst ever’ goes viral once more amid World Cup

This marks a record-breaking sixth World Cup appearance for Argentina’s Lionel Messi, so it’s hardly surprising that interest in the 39-year-old is high – including his pizza order, it seems.

View Image

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup in full swing, there’s a great deal of focus on the players involved. This year’s football extravaganza, running from 11 June to 19 July, is jointly hosted by three countries: the United States, Mexico, and Canada. This year signifies the most substantial structural revamp in World Cup history, with the tournament expanding from 32 to 48 national teams. One such team is Argentina, captained by Lionel Messi.

This marks a record-breaking sixth World Cup appearance for Messi, so it’s hardly surprising that interest in the 39-year-old is high – including his pizza order, it seems.

Messi sparked a colossal internet frenzy back in 2023 when he shared his Friday night dinner on his Instagram stories.

The viral incident occurred shortly after his transfer to Inter Miami. He ordered a “Pizza Napolitana” from Banchero Miami, a renowned Argentine pizzeria in Miami Beach.

The post went viral for two main reasons: its incredibly chaotic presentation and the contentious timing behind it.

When Messi proudly posted the image with the caption “Gracias bancheromiami”, football and food enthusiasts worldwide were utterly appalled by its appearance.

At first glance, it seemed to be a completely dry, cheese-less, sauce-free disc of cardboard topped with thick, raw-looking slices of tomatoes, large chunks of white onions, whole green olives scattered haphazardly and a hefty sprinkling of dried oregano.

Social media swiftly labelled it the “worst pizza ever”. However, food critics and restaurant staff later revealed the truth: it wasn’t actually devoid of cheese.

It was a traditional Argentine-style thick crust pizza where a hefty layer of melted mozzarella and tomato sauce is completely concealed beneath a generous topping of tomato slices and onions.

The toppings caused amusement, but the timing ignited genuine anger among MLS fans. Messi shared his cosy pizza night at home on a Friday evening just before Inter Miami was due to play a crucial away match against Atlanta United.

Thousands of fans had forked out for steep secondary-market ticket prices (some reaching into hundreds of dollars) in the hope of witnessing “Messi Mania” live in Atlanta. His pizza post effectively broke the news that he hadn’t even travelled with the team. (He was officially being rested due to minor muscle fatigue).

Without Messi on the field, Atlanta United ended up thrashing Inter Miami 5-2, handing them their first defeat of the Messi era.

Atlanta’s social media team quickly seized the opportunity to mercilessly troll Messi. They posted a picture of a mocked-up pizza topped with tomato slices arranged perfectly in the shape of an “L”, accompanied by the caption: “Here you have your pizza for the trip.”

Despite the online backlash and mockery from rivals, Banchero Miami lived the ultimate business dream. The following day, queues of hundreds of fans snaked around the block just to order Messi’s exact £27 pie.

The restaurant swiftly capitalised on the viral moment, updating their official Instagram bio to proudly proclaim: “Lionel Messi’s favourite pizza!”

Although the viral moment occurred three years ago, it is now resurfacing in light of Messi’s participation in the World Cup.

A post recounting the saga was shared on Instagram this week, amassing 101,000 likes.

People couldn’t resist making jokes about the pizza, with one person exclaiming: “It looks like a painting of a pizza by a 5-year-old.”

Another person dubbed it “Ikea pizza”, adding: “Even the tomato sauce needs to be assembled.”

However, many others also took to the comments section to defend it.

One individual commented: “It’s a Pizza Napolitana, Argentine staple. Very good. Cold cut ham can also be added as well as pickled red bell peppers.”

Another chimed in: “That’s how they eat pizza in Argentina, it’s honestly not bad I’ve had it in Buenos Aires.”