Lionel Messi‘s popularity around the globe is to the nth degree! The reasons are obvious, with his 497 million followers on Instagram being a testament to that fact. Miracles and rare occurrences are bound to occur in a sport like soccer, as Germany’s Bayern Munich also decided to break their very long tradition and forge a connection with La Pulga on the Meta-owned social media platform. However, that wasn’t the end of it!

Who knew that it would have such repercussions that forced the Bundesliga giants to make a U-turn to stick to their evergoing tradition and shockingly unfollow Lionel Messi? So the question lies: What exactly changed their mind? Let’s dive deeper.

Reason behind Bayern Munich’s sudden step to unfollow Lionel Messi on Instagram

It all started just hours ago, when, out of the blue, netizens saw Bayern Munich’s ‘following’ count become 62. The fact came true when the X user even searched for Lionel Messi on its following list. The news quickly made strides as the Blaugrana icon became the first soccer player in history that Bayern had started following, who has also never been a part of their team. However, their online friendship was short-lived, like a summer storm, as the German giant’s following went back to 61. Well, one reason the club reverted to their traditional stance was the pressure from their ardent fans. 

While it hasn’t been publicly disclosed that the Bavarians supporters were upset, the club’s social media team didn’t wait to find the answer. The fear of losing a passionate fanbase over just a single ‘following’ wasn’t something that any team would want. Additionally, questions might have been raised that, throughout the years, Bayern could have connected with Lionel Messi or even other renowned stars like Cristiano Ronaldo. So why doing it now?

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Moreover, breaking a tradition to follow La Pulga hypes up the Argentinian’s fan following, which indeed occurred. Bayern certainly intended to avoid sending any misleading message to the soccer community. However, that doesn’t mean Lionel Messi or the German club don’t have respect for each other. 

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The Bavarians have always held La Pulga in high regards

As surprising as it may sound, Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich have had a mutually respectful relationship for several years. The Allianz Arena stadium honored the Barcelona legend in 2018 with a special section. The Argentine’s autographed jersey is prominently displayed in one of the cabinets, making it the only non-Bayern soccer relic in the museum.

Notably, the gesture served as a tribute to Messi’s incredible accomplishment of scoring 91 goals in 2012, which eclipsed the record of 85 goals set by Bayern icon Gerd Muller in 1972. Lionel Messi, himself sent this gift to the German veteran with a message saying, “For Gerd Müller / My respect and admiration / A hug.” Muller then gave the shirt back to his old team, and the celebration lives on as a reminder of their relationship.

What are your thoughts on Bayern’s follow-unfollow saga with Lionel Messi? Let us know in the comments. 

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