Former Leeds United star Raphinha was made to eat his words after his Brazil side were thrashed 4-1 by Argentina during a fiery World Cup qualifier.
Raphinha, 28, who left Leeds to join Barcelona for £50million in July 2022, said in the build-up to Tuesday's clash that he and his Brazil teammates would 'beat them up'.
Speaking to Brazilian legend Romario, Raphinha claimed: "We are going to beat them up on and off the pitch if necessary. I am going to score. They can s*** themselves!"
Raphinha continued: "In Argentina, you have to hit them, it hurts! They're b*******."
Argentina managed Lionel Scaloni attempted to ease tensions in response to Raphinha's comments, describing the teams as 'warriors on the pitch, good friends off of it'.
Even without the injured Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez, Argentina eased past Brazil in a one-sided affair in Buenos Aires. Former Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez got the world champions up and running after four minutes before Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez doubled their advantage.
Wolves striker Matheus Cunha pulled one back for Brazil in the 26th minute, pouncing on a mistake from Cristian Romero before firing the ball into the bottom corner. Argentina restored their two-goal lead before half-time through Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister.
Giuliano Simeone put gloss on the scoreline and added a fourth in the 71st minute as Argentina, who had already celebrated qualifying for the 2026 World Cup before the game, romped past their rivals.
After the match, Scaloni was once again asked about Raphinha's comments, replying: "I excuse Raphinha because I know he didn't do it on purpose. He's defending his country and I'm sure he didn't want to offend anyone. Brazil will always be Brazil, it's a difficult time for them but they will return."
Alvarez was asked whether Raphinha's remarks gave Argentina extra motivation to beat Brazil. He said: "Obviously that manner of speaking adds some spice to a match like this. Thanks to our humility and work we played a great match. We danced around them."
Midfielder Leandro Paredes added: "You shouldn't talk about it beforehand, you shouldn't say these kinds of things when you can't back it up on the pitch. When he said that, we sent it to the WhatsApp group and we discussed it. Whenever this kind of thing happens, we stand up for ourselves on the pitch."
Raphinha has enjoyed an excellent season for Barcelona. He has scored 27 goals and added 20 assists in 42 matches for the Catalan side this term, as they fight for La Liga and the Champions League among other honours. Right now, there isn't many more in-form players in world football than the ex-Leeds man.