WC football | Let Messi pray I don’t find him, rages Mexican boxer Álvarez

Álvarez, the holder of the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF super middleweight belts, was angered by video footage of the triumphant celebration from the Argentina locker room, which showed the green Mexico jersey Messi took from the game lying on the ground. At one point, the Argentinian captain even inadvertently kicked him aside while taking off his boots.

“He wiped the floor with the jersey of the Mexican national team and the country’s flag!” thunders Álvarez on his Twitter account, where he has over two million followers. “Let him pray to God that I don’t find him!” said the 32-year-old Mexican boxing idol to the Argentine soccer king.

According to the Mexican boxer, it was disrespectful behavior, but Messi’s former teammates stood up for the Argentine star. “Don’t make excuses and don’t cause problems when you don’t know anything about football or what’s going on in the cabin. The jerseys are always on the ground because they’re sweaty,” responded former Argentina international Sergio Agüero. Messi’s former colleague from Barcelona, ​​Cesc Fábregas, expressed a similar opinion.

The reigning South American champions struggled for a long time after a shock 1-2 opening defeat to Saudi Arabia in Lusail on Saturday, but after an hour Messi opened the scoring with a long-range shot before setting up substitute Enzo Fernández’s second in the 87th minute. Mexico’s chances of advancing, which did not score even in its second appearance at the World Cup in Qatar, fell to a minimum.

The Argentines will finish the opening part of the tournament in Group C against Poland on Wednesday. They beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 on Saturday and lead the table with four points. Mexico will compete against three-point Saudi Arabia in a parallel match.