Lionel Messi's unbeaten record with referee Ismail Elfath explained

Ismail Elfath has never overseen a defeat for Lionel Messi, a fact that stands true. The MLS official has been in charge of five matches involving Messi, all of which resulted in victories for the Argentine star.

However, the assignment of Elfath to officiate the World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina does not imply that the tournament is "rigged" in favour of Messi.

There is no substantial evidence suggesting that Elfath shows any bias towards Messi. Kyle Bonn of The Sporting News articulated this perspective in a post on X, stating, “I can't believe I'm addressing this, but here we are. Calling Ismael Elfath 'Messi's favorite referee' is ludicrous and intentionally disingenuous. You know why Elfath has overseen a bunch of Messi wins? Because Messi wins a lot. So has other refs. Stop rage baiting.”

The statistics indicate that referees officiating Messi's matches are significantly more likely to witness a win than a loss, which is a reflection of Messi's overall success.

Elfath's journey is remarkable in its own right. He emigrated from Casablanca to Texas at the age of 18 after winning a diversity visa lottery and arrived with very little money. His officiating career began after a brief stint as a player, but it nearly ended following two knee surgeries after Copa America 2024. Now, Elfath finds himself officiating a World Cup semifinal, marking the pinnacle of his career.

Source: Sportingnews