Veteran coach Louis van Gaal has made surprising statement regarding the 2022 Qatar World Cup, suggesting that it was manipulated in favor of Lionel Messi and Argentina.
This has sparked a heated debate among football fans and aficionados all around the world, concerning Van Gal’s assertions that, Argentina rigged the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
In explaining why the FIFA rigged the World Cup, Van Gaal claims that “ There was a deliberate attempt to make Lionel Messi the World Cup champion”.
“I don’t really want to say much about it. When you see how Argentina gets the goals and how we get the goals, and how some Argentina players overstepped the mark and were not punished, then I think it was a premeditated game,” Van Gaal added as quoted by Goal.
Messi solidified his place in football history by leading Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar almost a year ago.
In the final match against France, Messi, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, scored two crucial goals, ultimately helping Argentina secure the coveted trophy.
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Argentina took an early 2-0 lead in the first half, thanks to goals from Messi and Angel di Maria.
However, France managed to equalize after falling behind, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice and forcing the game into extra time.
In the second half of extra time, Messi once again put Argentina in the lead, but Mbappe completed a hat-trick, resulting in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
In the subsequent penalty shootout, Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni missed their shots, leading to Lionel Scaloni’s team winning 4-2 on penalties and claiming the trophy.
Messi’s achievement of adding the World Cup to his impressive list of honors has led many to hail him as the greatest footballer of all time.
During the tournament, Argentina also defeated the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, and Van Gaal, who was the coach of the Dutch team at the time, believes that the entire event was unfairly skewed in favor of Messi and Argentina.
“I mean everything I say. That Messi should become world champion? I think so, yes,” the 72-year-old concluded.
SOURCE: hellovybes.com
