Aguero came on from the bench in the 80th minute of the match with the score at 1-1 and Sampaoli's side heading out of the competition.

Theyeventually won 2-1 thanks to a late goal by Marcos Rojo.

"Should I bring on Kun?" Sampaoli asked Messi during the game, according to the Argentine sports daily Ole.

A number of Argentinean fans spotted the incident on TV.

Argentina scraped into the knockout stage after Croatia beat Iceland by the same scoreline in the other Group D match on Tuesday.

Earlier, there were reports that Argentina's players had unanimously voted for Sampaoli to be sacked, following the team's lackluster performance in their opening two World Cup games.

Argentina will next face Group C winners France in their round of 16 match, which will played in Kazan on Saturday.