There is always at least one bad-tempered game at a World Cup and in 2022 the match with the bitterest fallout was Argentina’s quarter-final against Netherlands.
Argentina had led 2-0 before a dramatic Wout Weghorst brace sent the tie to extra-time.
The Albiceleste won on penalties, with a bitter war of words exchanged once the tie was done, with players and benches confronting each other.
Even the normally unflappable Lionel Messi was at the heart of it all, involved in a heated exchange with Weghorst, who has since clinched a move to Manchester United.
Lionel Messi regret
Now more than a month on since the World Cup, eventual winner Messi has expressed regret for losing his cool.
Weghorst had reportedly asked for Messi’s shirt, and amid a chippy exchange, the superstar dismissed the Dutch forward, quoted by The Express to have said: “What are you looking at, silly? Go over there.”
While a fairly harmless insult, the exchange in the tunnel was captured on camera and painted Messi in a poor light.
The Argentine has admitted he lost his temper. Quoted by Voetbal International, Messi said he was disappointed in himself and had no personal animosity towards Weghorst.
He said: “I’m not happy with what I did. I’m not happy that I said “walk on,” and so on.
“But in the heat of the moment, when a lot of pressure is added, everything happens quickly. You react the way you react.”
Weghorst has moved on, clinching a move to Manchester United, ending a previous loan spell at Besiktas. He scored his first goal for the Red Devils last week.
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It’s possible his contribution in the World Cup quarter-final helped to persuade Erik ten Hag to pull the trigger on a move to bring him to Old Trafford.
source:unitedinfocus
