Lionel Messi rarely loses his calm. The Argentine is known for his level-headed approach to the game. Things, however, took a surprising turn at the World Cup when Messi screamed at Netherlands’ Wout Weghorst. Months following the interview spat, then-Dutch manager, Louis van Gaal, lashed out claiming that the tournament was fixed for Argentina. Weghorst has now extended his support for Van Gaal.

Wout Weghorst was quick to defend his former manager as he claimed that Van Gaal is an honest man and he likes the fact that his former boss speaks his mind. Lionel Messi and Weghorst had an infamous spat during the quarterfinals of the World Cup 2022, with La Pulga lashing out at the striker during a post-match interview.

Weghorst defends Van Gaal following his comments on the World Cup

Former Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal took fans by surprise following his recent comments. The former Dutch boss slammed the organizers of the World Cup, claiming that the tournament was ‘rigged’ for Lionel Messi. While there has been a lot of backlash following his comments, Dutch striker Wout Weghorst has defended his former boss while talking to TNT Sports.

“I thought he is an honest and wonderful man. I don’t know if he’s right, but I think it’s wonderful that he says what he thinks. It is very difficult for me because there is still a lot of feeling. At the end of the day, you want to win the World Cup,” said the striker.

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“I hope that’s not the case. I guess soccer, FIFA and the fans try to be the best at every tournament,” he added. (Translated using DeepL)

It is interesting to see Weghorst come out and defend Van Haal, following his spat with Lionel Messi. The two players were involved in an unexpected exchange, with Messi lashing out at the former Manchester United striker.

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Things quickly escalated at the Lusail Stadium after Argentina defeated the Netherlands and booked their ticket to the semi-finals of the World Cup. Both teams played a physical game with players receiving yellow cards left, right, and center. The rivalry stemmed from the press conferences before the game, with the former Dutch manager claiming that his team exactly knew how to stop Messi.

Argentina eventually emerged victorious in what was a nail-biting affair. Following the game, Lionel Messi was giving an interview when Wout Weghorst tried to speak with the Argentine. But La Pulga seemed to be having none of it, as he stopped the Dutch player in what was an infamous moment from the tournament in Qatar. He said to Weghorst, ‘Que Mira Bobo,’ which translates to ‘What are you looking at you fool?’

While Van Gaal’s comments may sound strange, they have left the Dutch dressing room in disagreement. Although Weghosrt has extended support to his former gaffer, Dutch captain and Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk emphasized that he did not agree with the manager’s views.

What do you think about Van Gaal’s comments? Was the World Cup rigged?

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