Though Messi was criticised by some commentators for being respectful towards his opponents – Argentine players taunted the Dutch following the final penalty kick - it has become a hit with Argentine football fans. He received his booking in the final seconds of regulation time for dissent, though it could have come much earlier when he patted the ball away deliberately with his hand.įinishing the game with a bloodied and slightly puffy top lip after running into Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber, Messi took aim at Spanish referee Antonio Mateu, saying he was not up to the standard and was "very harmful for us”, and also broke off from his post-match interview on the field to shout abuse at Wout Weghorst, the scorer of the Netherlands' two goals, saying, “Que miras, bobo?” (meaning, 'What are you looking at, silly'). Messi was one of 17 people - players or coaching staff - to be given a yellow card, which is a record for a World Cup game. The gesture mimicked a goal celebration sometimes used by former Argentina playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, who, reportedly, had disagreements with van Gaal when they were both at Barcelona in the early 2000s and had to leave the Catalan club to make a name for himself in Spanish football.Īt the end of the game, Messi could be seen gesticulating at the 71-year-old Van Gaal and also went face-to-face with Edgar Davids, a member of the Dutch technical staff. It appeared to be a jibe toward outspoken Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal, who said before the game that his team would look to take advantage of Messi's perceived lack of work rate off the ball. After scoring a penalty to put Argentina 2-0 ahead, he stopped in front of the Netherlands dugout and cupped his hands around his ears. Messi, fuelled by a desire to win football's ultimate prize at likely his last attempt - was right in the middle of it all again during the narrow win in the quarterfinal against the Netherlands. Mina is no saint – his 'thumb-suck and dance' celebration after scoring in the penalty shootout against Uruguay in the quarterfinal might have been the trigger for Messi's taunt. During the semifinal against Columbia at the Copa America, he was seen mocking Columbia's Yerry Mina, after the latter missed a strike in the penalty shootout. It put him the league of other legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Roger Federer, in sports.īut, this year, the world is seeing a different side of the affable 35-year-old. Despite defeat for his side against Arsenal, Ronaldo managed to get on the scoresheet once again to drag United back into the game.What made Argentine football star Lionel Messi endearing to the football lovers over the years is not just his mesmerising skills with the ball at his feet, but also his humility and respectful attitude towards his opponents. United are four points behind fifth-placed Tottenham after they could only draw at Brentford. He then laughed: "The GOAT Messi scores really the goal that gets the title for PSG." While United's chances of reaching the Champions League now look slim, a place in the Europa League looks far more likely than the Europa Conference League. He said: "Ronaldo of Manchester United are confirmed to be Conference League team in sixth or seventh place."ĪLSO READ: Erik ten Hag reacts to Manchester United defeat to Arsenal after leading Ajax to victory
Corentin Jean equalised late on for the visitors but it wasn't enough to stop PSG from claiming the French title.Īn excited commentator in America couldn't resist taking a dig at Ronaldo after Messi's stunning finish as he watched on. The Argentinian forward scored an incredible goal to give his side the lead against Lens in Ligue 1. A commentator has taken the opportunity to mock Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo while lauding Lionel Messi's performance for Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday.
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