Fans shocked by what Lionel Messi did as he loses his temper in Argentina's defeat by Croatia in World Cup

Lionel Messi had a game to forget as Argentina were battered 3-0 by Croatia in the World Cup on Thursday evening.

The Barcelona forward - widely considered to be the best player on the planet - looked stressed from the off as the Argentina team lined up for their national anthem ahead of the group game.

Messi failed to make any impact on the match as Croatia dominated the two-time winners of the competition.

Fans took to social media to comment on Messi throughout the match; first to point out how stress he looked with the weight of a nation's expectations on his shoulders, and then to try and find a reason as to why he appeared so lost on the pitch.

Lionel Messi had a game to forget as Argentina were battered 3-0 by Croatia in the World Cup on Thursday evening. The Barcelona forward - widely considered to be the best player on the planet - looked stressed from the off as the Argentina team lined up for their national anthem ahead of the group game.

Messi failed to make any impact on the match as Croatia dominated the two-time winners of the competition.

Fans took to social media to comment on Messi throughout the match; first to point out how stress he looked with the weight of a nation's expectations on his shoulders, and then to try and find a reason as to why he appeared so lost on the pitch.

The Croatian appears to apologise to Messi(Image: Getty Images Europe)

Messi gets to his feet following the incident(Image: REX/Shutterstock)

Messi grabs hold of Strinic's leg (Image: AFP

• Lionel Messi sparks concern ahead of Croatia game as fans notice the Argentina forward is 'stressed with expectation'

He also avoids confrontation with other players, choosing to let his football do the talking rather than portray himself as overly macho and unnecessarily aggressive.

However, in the later stages of Thursday night's defeat, Messi reacted angrily after crashing to the ground with Strinic, who accidentally made contact with his face.

The Argentine throws Strinic's leg to one side(Image: Getty Images Europe)

Climbing to his feet, Messi threw the Croatian's leg to one side.

The incident passed without punishment, but fans on social media brought attention to it, with many saying they'd never seen Messi react in this way before.