Messi was hit with a bottle during Argentina’s World Cup qualifier, and Omar Alderete, a player from Paraguay, wrote him a letter to say sorry.

Argentina lost to Paraguay 2-1 in a World Cup qualification game at Estadio Defensores del Chaco, which came as a surprise. Lautaro Martinez scored the first goal early on, but Antonio Sanabria scored soon after and beat Emiliano Martinez. Just after halftime, Alderete scored, handing the World Cup winners their third loss in the playoffs.

Messi had a pretty boring night on the field, but the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was still the center of attention for two different events. The star player for Inter Miami was hit hard by Alderete several times, and he told judge Anderson Daronco about it. But when the match official said the claims were not true, cameras caught Messi yelling at the referee, “You are a coward, I don’t like you.” Paraguay fans threw bottles at Messi when he tried to take a corner in the second incident. Messi used to play for Barcelona. Now, Alderete has sent Messi an apology for how the fans became so rude.

Alderete wrote to Messi on Instagram, “Dear Leo Messi, I want to apologize on behalf of my country for the unfortunate event in which someone threw a bottle at you.” A lot of people here and around the world look up to you, especially Fede.

“We deeply regret this disrespectful act that does not represent the affection and admiration we feel for you.”