The shout that echoed beyond the semifinal
One line—“Dance now!”—took on a life of its own after Argentina beat Colombia on penalties in the 2021 Copa America semifinal. Cameras caught Lionel Messi aiming the jab at Yerry Mina after the Colombian defender saw his spot-kick saved. It was a raw, unfiltered flash of needle in a match that had already frayed nerves, and it didn’t land like a routine bit of trash talk. It hit harder because the two had once shared a locker room at Barcelona.
Mina’s dance is part of his identity. He did it at Palmeiras, he did it with Colombia at the 2018 World Cup, and he did it at club level when big moments called for it. By the time the 2021 tournament rolled around, everyone knew the routine. So when Emiliano Martínez psyched out Colombia’s takers in the semifinal and denied Mina, the taunt from Messi felt both personal and pointed—a reference to a celebration that had become Mina’s signature.
The shootout itself was theater. Argentina and Colombia had finished 1–1 in normal time—Lautaro Martínez scored early, Luis Díaz equalized—and then the goalkeepers and mind games took over. Martínez kept talking, clapping, prowling the line. Colombia blinked. Argentina advanced. In the chaos, Messi’s words cut through the noise and stuck to the story of the night.
This wasn’t just any clash. Just days earlier, Colombia had knocked out Uruguay on penalties in the quarterfinals, a defeat that stung a Uruguay team led by Luis Suarez. He and Mina had been Barcelona teammates too. The mood around Colombia’s celebrations—and Mina’s love of dancing—followed the next game like a shadow. When Argentina met Colombia, the subject was already hot.
That’s why the fallout didn’t stop at the final whistle. Stories circulated that the relationship between Mina and his former Barça colleagues cooled in the aftermath. Messi’s outburst looked less like a quick swipe and more like a deliberate psychological hit in the highest-pressure moment on the pitch. Whether you call it gamesmanship or crossing a line depends on where you stand, but it clearly left a mark.
Club bonds vs. country lines
Mina’s Barcelona chapter was brief. He arrived from Palmeiras in January 2018, a 23-year-old ball-playing center-back with spring-loaded celebrations and big personality. He got a handful of appearances, trained daily with Messi and Suarez, and then moved to Everton that summer in search of minutes. It’s not unusual in football: you share a workplace for half a season, then the sport scatters you to different leagues and continents. But the shared time at Barcelona made what happened in 2021 feel intimate, almost like a family argument held in public.
At international level, the tone is different. National teams don’t have transfer windows. They don’t have rotation policies or long preseasons to smooth over disagreements. They have short, high-stakes bursts where every detail is magnified. Penalty shootouts turn those stakes up another level. Players put pride, momentum, and months of preparation on one kick. The mind games are part of the ritual—keepers talk, takers hesitate, teammates surround the spot and look for tells.
In that semifinal, the psychological battle was relentless. Martínez’s chatter unsettled Colombia’s takers. Argentina’s veterans, Messi included, lived in the moment. When Mina’s effort was saved, the shout came instantly. It was targeted, and it used something he cared about—his dance—as a trigger. The cameras caught it, and the internet did the rest.
Suarez’s name was pulled in for a reason. Uruguay’s exit at Colombia’s hands in the prior round wasn’t just a loss; it was a gut punch decided from the spot. The sight of Colombian players celebrating, and the memory of Mina’s dancing persona, didn’t sit well in the Uruguay camp. When Messi’s taunt surfaced a match later, it felt, to some, like the Argentine captain was saying what rivals had been thinking: enjoy the dance when you’re winning—but you’ll hear about it when you’re not.
Did it fracture friendships for good? Only the players know. Publicly, there was no scorched-earth exchange afterward. But in football, a chill can be as real as a feud. Teammates-turned-opponents often describe the first international meeting as a shock to the system: familiar voices now coming from the other huddle, a friendly face suddenly wearing the shirt you grew up opposing. Add tournament pressure and a viral clip, and any easy warmth can evaporate fast.
The episode also tied into the larger story of Argentina’s run. That semifinal was one of the hurdles on the way to lifting the Copa America, Messi’s first major title with the national team. In hindsight, Argentina embraced the edge—they played on the line, used the moments, and fed off their leader’s intensity. Colombia, for their part, had pushed the match to the wire and left the tournament knowing they’d been inches from the final. For Mina, the night became a defining memory—painful, public, and hard to shake.
There’s a broader lesson hidden in there about image and identity. Celebrations can be joy, culture, and connection. They can also be ammunition when emotions run hot. Once the dance is a brand, opponents will try to turn it against you. That’s part of the bargain for any player with a signature move.
How did we get to that boiling point? A quick recap helps:
- Quarterfinal: Colombia beat Uruguay on penalties after a 0–0 draw. The loss hit Uruguay hard and set a tense backdrop for the next round.
- Semifinal: Argentina vs. Colombia ended 1–1; Martínez dominated the shootout and saved Mina’s kick.
- The moment: Messi shouted “Dance now!” toward Mina—referencing his trademark celebration—right after the save.
- Aftermath: Argentina reached the final and won the tournament. The incident lingered, with reports of cooled relations between Mina and his former Barcelona teammates, Messi and Suarez.
Years later, careers have moved on. Messi left Barcelona, joined PSG, and now plays in MLS. Suarez has zigzagged across clubs and reunited with Messi in Miami. Mina’s path took him to Everton, then Italy, then back into the thick of top-flight battles. The game keeps moving, but certain clips hold. For Mina, that shout is one of them. For Messi, it’s part of a portrait that includes not just genius but the hard edges that often come with it.
Was it over the top? Some fans will always say yes. Others will argue that at that level, with a place in the final on the line, the emotional temperature was never going to stay cool. What’s not in doubt is how clearly the moment showed the split between club civility and national-team combat. On a neutral training pitch in Barcelona, that line might blur. In a Copa America semifinal, it doesn’t exist at all.
