‘I Will Always Defend My Country’: Canelo Alvarez Opens Up About Violent Threats He Sent to Lionel Messi

More than a three-decade-long wait met its end. Finally, Lionel Messi and his team got their country its third FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The former has proved himself a worthy inheritor of Diego Maradona’s legacy. Now that it is over, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez wants to bury the hatchet as he looks back on when the eventual cup winners purportedly insulted Mexico, his home country. Though it touched his nerves, the undisputed Middleweight champion complimented the Albiceleste for a historic win over France, winners of the last edition.

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Michael Benson, sports radio channel and broadcaster talksport.com’s boxing editor, tweeted that Canelo wanted to let bygones be bygones and congratulated the Argentine soccer team. Accepting that he might have crossed the line when holding Golden Ball awardee Lionel Messi responsible for being disrespectful towards Mexico.

Why did Canelo Alvarez threaten Messi?

The El Tri are owners of a proud soccer tradition that goes back to the first World Cup in 1930. Ever since, it has made seventeen appearances on the world stage. The Mexican national team reached the quarter-finals, the farthest it could get, twice in the 1970 and 1986 World Cups; both times, they were the hosting nation.

In Qatar, the El Tri was part of Group C, pitted against Argentina, Poland, and Saudi Arabia. The thirteenth-best soccer-playing country per FIFA rankings eventually stood third on the group stage, eliminated along with Saudi Arabia. It was the first time since 1978 that the El Tri returned home so early.

Soon national sorrow switched places with indignation when videos of the Argentine team’s locker room celebrations went viral. Somewhat hazy clips brandished Lionel Messi stomping over on what looked like either the Mexican national flag or the soccer jersey.

The video was fake after all…

The guileless gesture rubbed many the wrong way, and Canelo took to social media platforms. He accused Messi and his team members of adding insult to injury and threatened the seven-time Ballon d’Or awardee.

Several international soccer personalities, such as Sergio Aguero and Cesc Fabregas, tried to diffuse the situation. Then, in their way, they tried explaining the locker room culture to the boxing legend.

As dramatic as it may sound, it appears that Canelo vented his anger over a fake pic as later reports went public.

Argentina finally turned up the eventual winners on 18th December.

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Lionel Messi established his name among the greatest of all time; it is time for one of the greatest boxers to look ahead.