‘Never seen that before’ — Man United legend Ferdinand questions World Cup decision favouring Messi

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has voiced his absolute shock on social media over a highly unusual refereeing decision that altered the course of Argentina’s dramatic World Cup quarterfinal victory against Switzerland.

The controversy unfolded in Kansas City, where a technical loophole in FIFA’s newly expanded rulebook left fans and pundits entirely divided.

The match exploded into controversy in the 72nd minute when Switzerland forward Breel Embolo was shown a second yellow card for simulation, becoming only the fourth player to experience this in World Cup history.

Initially, the referee had blown his whistle to book Argentina's Leandro Paredes for a clumsy challenge, but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened under FIFA's new "mistaken identity" protocol.

Upon reviewing the monitor, the official realised Paredes made no contact and that Embolo had dived, prompting him to rescind the Argentine’s card and instead send the distraught Swiss striker off.

Taking to X, Ferdinand made his feelings clear on the unprecedented technicality, stating: “What… never seen that happen before? Crazy scenes.”

The decision proved to be the ultimate turning point of the match, completely shattering Swiss momentum just five minutes after Dan Ndoye had levelled the game at 1-1.

While head coach Murat Yakin angrily complained that the rule choice "destroyed the game," the 10-man Swiss side simply could not hold out through the remainder of the contest.

Argentina ruthlessly capitalised on their numerical advantage during extra time, running out 3-1 winners via late strikes from Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez to secure a highly anticipated semifinal showdown against England.