The Canelo Alvarez and Lionel Messi story might have crossed the expiry date. However, its reverberations could still be felt as one of the protagonists goes to wage war in the ring in a week. Likewise, it’s been nearly four months since the soccer world cup in Qatar ended. Among the many highlights that kept the planet’s grandest event on the front pages was the boxing world champion taking apparent umbrage at one of the greatest soccer players in history.

The FIFA World Cup’s twenty-second edition occurred in Qatar from November 20 to December 18, 2022. Thirty-two countries that made it to the tournament were split between eight groups. In Group C, soccer aristocrats Argentina was stacked with old rivals Mexico, Poland, and Saudi Arabia. It lost the first match against Saudi Arabia. But Argentina under Lionel Messi found its verve and eventually made it to the second round, topping the group.

As was bound to happen, Argentina and Mexico clashed in a vital group stage match on November 22 in Lusail Stadium. The latter was coming on the back of a draw against Poland. After a defeat, the former found themselves at a critical juncture where nothing less than a victory mattered. In the end, the South Americans finding their mojo, defeated the Central Americans by two goals to nil.

What happened afterward, however, added extra spice to the story of a team finally finding its soul.

What instigated the intense feud between Canelo Alvarez and Lionel Messi?

A dressing room video of Lionel Messi in a joyous mood with the rest of the team went viral. However, the innocuous victory celebrations grabbed the garb of controversy. It appeared that a cloth Messi kicked around at the time turned out what was reportedly a Mexican national jersey. And one of the persons who found the soccer great’s actions lamentable was Super Middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez.

Canelo Alvarez’s stand on the locker-room incident

Treating it as an insult to his home country Mexico, he warned the soccer superstar to stay away.

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Later he tweeted that he intended to highlight Messi’s folly. He never wanted to sully the image of a country for which he had profound respect. “Just as I respect Argentina, you have to respect Mexico!! I’m not talking about the country (Argentina); I’m talking about Messi because of the b*****b he gave.“

However, as the news gained traction, many celebrities and players chastised Alvarez for making a ‘mole out of a mountain’. Defending Messi, former Argentinian forward Sergio Aguero said, “Mr. Canelo, don’t go finding excuses or creating trouble. Certainly, you don’t know soccer or what happens in a locker room. The shirts are always on the floor after a match as they are sweaty.” Spaniard Cesc Fabregas also followed toed a similar line.

Lionel Messi’s response to Alvarez’s warning

To his credit, the seven-time Ballon d’Or trophy winner remained unresponsive to Alvarez’s diatribes. However, when asked about the issue, post his country’s victory over Poland, Messi responded, “…those who know me know that I never disrespect anyone. That it’s something typical of a locker room what happened after that game to leave the shirt there, and that’s all there is to it… [So] I don’t even have to ask for forgiveness because I believe I didn’t disrespect [either] the people of Mexico, not the jersey….”

Perhaps, it was time to bury the hatchet.

Why did Canelo Alvarez let go of the feud?

Though the issue escalated slightly, Canelo displayed good old sportsmanship. After learning that Messi wasn’t responsible for the faux pas, he expressed regret. Offering apologies, he told the latter that he was sorry for letting his emotions get the best of him and saying something he shouldn’t have.

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Taking to his Twitter account, he messaged, “These last few days, I got carried away by the passion and love I feel for my country and made comments that were out of place, for which I want to apologize to Messi and the people of Argentina. Every day we learn something new, and this time it was my turn.”

Not stopping there, the Super Middleweight champion congratulated Messi and his team when they won the World Cup, a third for Argentina. “Congratulations Argentina, they deserved it,” he tweeted.

Interestingly, according to a Mirror article, the Mexican champion seemed to have been tricked by a false photo that purported to depict a brush made from a Mexican jersey. What is your take on the whole issue? Do let us know your views and opinions in the comments below.

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