“Que miras bobo, que miras? Anda para alla, bobo”. “What are you looking at, jerk? What are you looking at? Get out, jerk.” In images captured by the Argentine channel TyC Sports following the very tense Argentina – Netherlands on Saturday, and which have since circulated everywhere, we discovered an unexpected and angry Messi, attacking the Dutchman Wout Weghorst. The Argentine journalist who was interviewing the N.10 even tried to calm things down, repeating several times “quiet, Leo, quiet”.
The incident was the latest in an evening where Messi, stunning on the pitch with a goal, an assist and a dozen classy plays, was also ubiquitous at all hot spots, as the gang leader of ‘a very tough Albiceleste and really not afraid of a fight. Before this “clash” in the interview area with Weghorst, Messi had attacked in turn the Oranje coach Louis van Gaal, his assistant Edgar Davids, or the Spanish referee Mateu Lahoz. “He was not up to it. We cannot put such a referee in the quarter-finals of a World Cup”, he decided regarding the man in black, with whom he drags a dispute For years.
smoke seller
After the penalty shootout, the Argentine N.10 therefore also had a more than lively discussion with Edgar Davids, before being removed from the conflict zone by Angel Di Maria. And during the match, following scoring the 2-0 penalty, he signaled himself with an unusual goal celebration, hands behind his ears as if to hear better, in a gesture that was the signature of another big N. 10 Argentinian Juan Roman Riquelme. The gesture was aimed at Van Gaal, who had played Riquelme very little during their cohabitation at Barcelona, and whom Messi blamed for disrespecting the Argentine.
“I was angry because of the pre-match. Seeing a coach like Van Gaal, with his experience, all the matches and the battles he had in his career, talking like he spoke, disrespecting as he did … I think it should not be done,” explained the Paris SG player. “He sells smoke by saying that he is playing a good game, but he only puts great players in front and swings big balls”, once more dropped the sevenfold Ballon d’Or, decidedly reassembled.
Clash, clash, clash
His coach Lionel Scaloni also ironically greeted Van Gaal, who had notably judged before the match that Messi had “not touched a ball” during the semi-final of the World Cup already won by Argentina once morest the Dutch in 2014. “It’s not up to me to give advice to Van Gaal, but perhaps Leo shouldn’t be upset…”, smiled the Argentinian coach. Clash with the referee, clash with the opposing coach and his assistant, clash with a player… Do not throw any more, the discreet Messi has turned into a real tough guy in Qatar.
It must be said that the success of 2021 in the Copa America has consolidated his status as the sole leader of the Albiceleste and everyone has lined up behind the captain and his genius in the hope of winning a third World Cup, which would him the equal of Diego Maradona. While Messi and Argentina are very close to their dream, the former Barcelonan has also made the “Pibe de Oro” lie who, in 2016 during a conversation he thought private with Pelé, had expressed of his doubts as to the character of his successor. “Leo is a nice boy but he has no personality. He doesn’t have enough personality to be a leader,” he said. Failed, Diego…
