Messi provokes the Dutch team

In the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup yesterday, Lionel Messi repeatedly expressed his attitude to coach Louis van Gaal, assistant Edgar Davids and striker Wout Weghorst.

After scoring the goal to make it 2-0 from the penalty, Messi congratulated his teammates and ran towards the Dutch coaching staff, saying, “You asked where Messi is? Where are you now?”, jumped up and put his hands close to his ears.

“Here I am,” added the Argentina captain.

Messi’s congratulatory movement is often seen in former midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme. Once accused of provoking an opponent, Riquelme explained that the move helped him resemble the cartoon mouse Topo Gigio that his daughter likes. But many argue that that explanation only helped Riquelme avoid punishment.

According to Ole (Argentina), that may be how Messi replaced Riquelme to respond to Van Gaal. In the past, the Dutch strategist did not use Riquelme at Barca, even saying the former Argentinian midfielder was “a superfluous person at the Camp Nou”.

Messi made his mark on both Argentina’s goals, but the Netherlands equalized 2-2 to send the game into extra time and on penalties. The Argentine captain continued to take the first penalty to put the home team ahead, then won 4-2 to enter the semi-finals.

Messi went to the Netherlands’ technical area after the game. He highlighted and reprimanded Van Gaal and Davids for criticizing Messi and Argentina in the press too much prior to the game.

In the post-match interview with TyC Sports, catching a look from striker Weghorst, Messi said: “What are you looking at, idiot?”, this radio reporter immediately stopped the 35-year-old superstar and brought him back to the interview. question. But Messi still tried to say: “Go somewhere else”.

“Van Gaal said before the game that the Netherlands would play authentic football,” Messi said. “But in the end they just brought in tall players and used a cross-header strategy.”

Weghorst entered the game in the 78th minute and headed in a Steven Berghuis cross to score after just five minutes. The 1.97 m tall striker pressed back in the penalty area at the end of the second half and then sank to make it 2-2 for the Netherlands.

Messi also blasted Mateu Lahoz, the match’s manager, for escalating the tension between the two teams. A referee like that can’t oversee a game like this, he continued, so FIFA should take another look.

Messi reached the semi-finals with Argentina for the second time, after the runner-up position in 2014. They will meet Croatia at Lusail Stadium on the evening of December 13, to compete for a place in the 2022 World Cup final.