Argentina and the Netherlands competed against each other in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Weghorst had the sub of his life and scored twice in the closing stages of the game, leading to extra time and penalties.
As a result, tempers sometimes ran high. After the match there was even a small collision between Messi and Weghorst. Weghorst says this for the first time: “I wanted to show my respect for him after the game, but he was not open to that. He was still a bit angry with me.”
“There were some moments between us. I think he didn’t appreciate it and he was a bit surprised by it. For me everyone on the pitch is the same. It doesn’t matter if I play against Messi or against Burak.” with which he refers to a defender of third division Sanliurfaspor, a team in Turkey.
That is not to say that the tall striker has no respect for Messi: “I have a lot of respect for him. He is the best, or one of the best players ever. But on the pitch I will always give everything, so I also fought against Messi.”
“I see it as a nice advantage that he now knows my name. Then I have done something right”, Weghorst concludes jokingly.
