Argentina captain Lionel Messi has finally broken his silence on his heated argument with Manchester United striker Wout Weghorst at the World Cup. He revealed that his emotions got the better of him at that moment.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and his Argentina teammates lifted the World Cup trophy despite losing their first game. But the journey was not so smooth for Messi, as he had to deal with some nervy moments in the closing stages of the competition.
At the quarterfinal stage of the World Cup, Weghorst, who had been called up from the Netherlands bench, threatened to end Argentina’s World Cup hopes when he scored twice in a fiercely contested match. However, the South American outfit came from behind to win the contest on penalties.
However, after the final whistle had been blown and referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz had given out 14 yellow cards and even sent off Netherlands midfielder Denzel Dumfries, it was far from over as Messi took his fight to the TV cameras, with United loanee Weghorst taking the brunt as tempers frayed.
Messi was heard calling Weghorst “a moron” after previously making a beeline for former United boss Louis van Gaal in the Netherlands dugout.
The PSG star has now opened up on the heated argument between the two players in an interview with Infobae. As reported by The Mirror, he said:
“Everything that came out was natural, a lot had happened on the field with that player [Weghorst] in reality and a couple more.”
“At the moment of tension, friction, crossing, when the game gets like that, the fever with the referee too. He was in the mixed zone and the game had just finished. And well, I know that there is everything now.”
Argentina then defeated Croatia 3-0 in the semifinals before defeating France in the final via penalties. In the meanwhile, Weghorst made a surprise loan transfer from Championship leaders Burnley to Erik ten Hag’s United in the January transfer window.
Surprisingly, former Argentine star Sergio Aguero was in the mixed zone when the event occurred. He has previously said that it was a heated moment that ended with words being exchanged between the two players.
