World | “What are you looking at, silly”: the story behind Lionel Messi’s anger that went viral

8 hours

image source, Average AP

“What are you looking at, fool. Go over there.”

This phrase that Lionel Messi uttered last Friday during an interview following the match between the teams of Argentina and the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the World Cup has gone viral in recent days.

To such an extent that it is being immortalized in all kinds of media: memes, TikTok videos, songs, hats, t-shirts, or mugs.

But, to whom was the insult of the Argentine star captured by the television cameras directed?

image source, Archyde.com

Caption,

Weghorst scored both of the Netherlands’ goals.

Tension on and off the pitch

The match between the Argentines and the Dutch that ended with the victory of the former in the penalty shootout was marked by the tension of the final minutes of regulation timewith Wout Weghorst’s goal that tied the Netherlands 2-2 and sent the game to extra time.

There were several clashes between the players of both teams and some brawls at the end of a match that the Argentines were winning until the 100th minute.

After the game, Leo Messi offered an interview to the TyC Sports channel and before starting to answer, he was seen in a video looking into the distance and saying: “What are you looking at, fool? What are you looking at, fool? Go there, fool, go there.”

In those images it was not seen who the Argentine captain was addressing.

Later it was learned thanks to a recording of the moment from another perspective that Messi was speaking to Weghorst, the author of the two goals for the Netherlands.

Apparently, at the end of the game Weghorst approached Messi, according to him, with the intention of shaking his hand and asking for his shirt, but he refused.

In these second images the Dutch player is seen arguing with the Argentines Lautaro Martínez and ‘Kun’ Agüero, who is in Qatar acting as a commentator.

According to Agüero, while the Argentine captain was preparing to give his interview, Weghorst in a provocative attitude looked at him from a distance and said ‘Hey, Messi, hey, Messi’.

That was when the Argentine star told him his already famous “What are you looking at, silly”.

Weghorst also gave his version of what happened following the incident in an interview.

“I wanted to shake his hand following the game. I have a lot of respect for him as a football player but he threw my hand aside and didn’t want to talk to me. My Spanish is not very good but he said disrespectful words to me and that disappoints me, I’m really disappointed “said the player.

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