Following Saudi Arabia’s shock victory over Argentina in the 2022 World Cup, a video of Saudi defender Ali Blihi has gone viral.
Blihi hadn’t scored any of the goals that turned the tide against one of the World Cup favourites. He also didn’t get an assist. But a clash with Lionel Messi, with the score at 2-1 against Saudi Arabia, has sparked the curiosity of football fans. What exactly did Al-Bulaihi say to Lionel Messi following his country’s winning goal?
Some wondered if he aggressively claimed the PSG player’s shirt after the final whistle. Others wondered if he was just enjoying a waffle with arguably the greatest player of all time. But it has now been revealed what the defender said to Messi at those times.
Miren lo que pasó tras el gol de Salem Al-Dawsari ante ArgentinaAli Al-Bulaihi (5) buscó a Lionel Messi y le dijo unas cosas.En el segundo tweet se ve mejor👇🏽pic.twitter.com/DrGLMRvgJaNovember 22, 2022
“Your teammates were celebrating the second goal, you didn’t go celebrate with them,” a reporter asked after the match. “You went up to Messi, patted him on the back and looked like you were trying to start an argument. What happened?”
Al-Bulaihi’s response might surprise many. “Nothing,” he replied. “I just said to him, ‘Look at me, you’re not win today!’ That’s what I told Messi.”
In a bizarre display of confidence, Al-Bulaihi informed Messi – a player who scored more than 780 goals for club and country during a glittering career – that there was no way his Argentine teammates find a way through the Saudi defence. again this afternoon.
Considering the second Saudi goal didn’t come until the 53rd minute, it was a bold statement. It may have worked, however, with Messi and his compatriots struggling to find a way through their stubborn opponents en route to a historic defeat in Qatar.
It might be the biggest stage of all, but football shit is still a weapon at the World Cup.
