Lionel Messi, turned into the Hulk by the fury that Louis van Gaal caused him

Lionel Messi, always measured, calm, cautious when declaring, went out of his way on Friday, after Argentina’s victory over the Netherlands in a penalty shootout that gave the South Americans the ticket to the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup , after a 2-2 in 120 minutes. The recipient of the anger of the albiceleste crack was Louis van Gaal, coach of the Netherlands.

For whom was Lionel Messi’s phrase: “What are you looking at, fool; go there, fool!”?

“Van Gaal does not sell that he likes good football and ended up playing with the ball,” Messi said. The PSG footballer added: “A coach like Van Gaal, with the experience he has, with the matches and the battles he has had throughout his career, let him speak the way he spoke. I think he didn’t have to be like this. I don’t like talking before games. That’s not part of soccer. I always respect everyone, but I like that they respect me too. Van Gaal was not respectful towards us.”

“He is arrogant, since Spain was left out he also wanted the same for us”, the discharge of Emiliano Martínez, goalkeeper of Argentina against the referee

But Messi’s annoyance with Van Gaal and his pupils was also notorious during the game. Like a Bruce Banner turned into the Hulk out of anger, Messi showed courage, grew emotionally and showed leadership in a tough game, with several moments of great tension between the players of both teams.

FIFA forgives nothing! He opened disciplinary files for Argentina and the Netherlands for the friction at the end of the duel for the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup

Origin of the rivalry

The newspaper ACE, from Madrid, He referred this Saturday to the “causes of the war” between Messi and Van Gaal. “Rarely had he been seen like this (Messi). Earlier, on the pitch, he celebrated the goal in front of the Netherlands bench by doing the ‘Topo Gigio’, a gesture that Juan Román Riquelme became popular with and that comes to say something like ‘keep talking’. He put his hands over his ears and looked at Van Gaal, ”he says ACE.

The newspaper recounts: “The origin of this rivalry between Messi and the ‘Oranje’ coach is not from now, but it heated up in the days before the quarterfinal clash in Qatar. The first tensions between the two arose after the semifinal of the 2014 World Cup. “Messi did not touch the ball that day,” the Dutch coach recalled years later. Although he didn’t score, Messi played a good game and had some clear chances. Leo considered it an unnecessary attack, especially considering that Argentina eliminated the Netherlands that day and played the final (against Germany)”.

The sayings of Van Gaal

Everything became tense again in Qatar. In the previous press conference, Van Gaal said that Argentina had a weakness and pointed out Messi again: “When Argentina loses the ball, Messi doesn’t participate much, that gives us opportunities.” His words immediately reached the albiceleste concentration and its great star. “No one understood how football disqualifications of this magnitude could be incurred in an official press conference. Messi took it as a lack of respect, as he later pointed out, ”he added. ACE.

Another issue that did not like was that of penalties. “If we make it to the shootout, we win for sure,” Van Gaal said.

The Spanish newspaper summarized: “For all this, at the end of the match Messi approached the Netherlands bench while saying something to Van Gaal. He couldn’t read what it was about, though he later explained it. The coach was surprised and even Edgard Davids, his assistant, had to intervene so that things didn’t get any worse. A war between coach and player that was publicly reflected in front of the whole world. Few have taken Messi out of his boxes like Van Gaal”. (D)