LIONEL MESSI was sent off for only the second time in his career Saturday after getting into a dust-up with Chilean defender Gary Medel late in the first half of the third-place Copa America match.

In the 37th minute, Messi gave Medel a little shove after the ball went out of play, which prompted Medel to throw his body into Messi in retaliation.

After extended player protests and a VAR review, both Messi and Medel received red cards.

Did either act really deserve a straight red? Probably not, but the match had been chippy and childish since the opening whistle, and the referee was likely trying to seize control with a power move.

The only other red card in Messi’s career came less than a minute into his Argentina debut in 2005, when he elbowed Hungary’s Vilmos Vanczak in a friendly.

Messi has never been red carded with Barcelona.

It’s understandable he’d be frustrated. This tournament is the latest instance where he has come up short in his quest for a major international trophy, the only thing left to seal unimpeachable greatest-ever status.

Argentina beat Chile 2-1 thanks to goals from Sergio Aguero and Paulo Dybala in the first half. The opener was a particularly heads-up combination from Messi and Aguero off a free kick.

Arturo Vidal scored Chile’s only goal on a penalty in the 59th minute.

Argentina hasn’t won a major trophy since 1993, and reached the World Cup final in 2014 as well as the Copa finals in 2015 and 2016. Both of those latter losses came against Chile in chippy affairs.

After the match, Messi did not appear with his teammates to collect his medal.

When asked why he was not on the pitch for the ceremony, he told reporters: “Because we don’t have to be part of this corruption, this lack of respect towards the whole Copa.”

Messi blasted the officiating at the tournament after Argentina lost to hosts Brazil in the semifinals in a match in which Lionel Scaloni’s side had two penalty appeals that went unchecked by VAR.

He suggested the red card had been punishment for those comments, saying: “With a yellow card it would have been over for both of us, but, well, maybe I’m paying for what I said last time.

“The important thing is that the team finished the tournament well. We do not have to get caught up in the lack of respect that happened here.

“I leave calmly, with my head high and proud of this group, who gave everything. I hope that this group is respected — it has a lot to give.”  (SD-Agencies)