“I don’t really want to say much about it. If you see how Argentina gets the goals and how we get the goals and how some of Argentina’s players crossed the line and weren’t punished, then I think it’s all preconceived game,” van Gaal told Dutch outlet NOS in September. “I mean everything I say by that. That Messi had to become world champion? I think so, yes.”

Wout Weghorst was asked about the strong accusation made by his former coach, but far from siding with van Gaal, the striker stated Argentina deserved to become the world champion.

“No, honestly, I don’t agree with Van Gaal. I heard what he said but I don’t see it that way,” Weghorst said, via ESPN. “We equalized in the tenth minute of stoppage time with a free kick on the edge of the penalty area. If it was the other way around, why would the referee give that free-kick? In the end, Argentina deserved to win the World Cup.”

Wout Weghorst’s heated match against Argentina

Weghorst was the subject of a heated exchange with Messi in the quarterfinal clash between Netherlands and Argentina, with the Inter Miami star calling him “idiot” as the Dutchman stared at him during a post-game interview.

That kind of overshadowed the fact that Weghorst put his nation back in the game when it looked like it was over. The striker came off the bench after 78′, and only five minutes later, he pulled one back for the Oranje. In the dying seconds of the match, the Hoffenheim player scored the equalizer to force the extra time.

Weghorst got into Messi and other Argentine players’ nerves, as the world champs accused him of taunting them during the match. But the 31-year-old has no hard feelings, so he hasn’t echoed van Gaal’s sentiments.

Other Dutch players also disagreed with van Gaal

Van Gaal’s comments gave a lot to talk about in the soccer community, and Weghorst wasn’t the only one who had something to say about it. Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk, for instance, also took distance from his former coach.

“He can say what he wants, it is of course his opinion. Everyone can have an opinion. But I don’t agree with him and I don’t share the same opinion,” van Dijk said, before making it clear the Dutch squad didn’t stand behind van Gaal’s words.

Goalkeeper Mark Flekken echoed the defender’s sentiments by then, “If that’s his opinion, then he is allowed to share it. But personally I don’t agree with his opinion.”

To make things worse, the striker was called out by the 7x Ballon d’Or winner at the end of the game. “Anda pa’allá, bobo (Keep moving, idiot),” Messi yelled at Weghorst in his post-game interview.

The 31-year-old’s impressive performance was overshadowed by that moment, which continues to be remembered even months later. Now, Weghorst has to try his luck at a new club.

Weghorst joins Hoffenheim on loan after brief Man United stint

Weghorst has been loaned for the third straight transfer window. After six months at Manchester United, Weghorst will have to leave the Premier League as Burnley sent him to Hoffenheim for the 2023-24 season.

“Dear Manchester United fans,” he said in a farewell message to the Red Devils. “Thanks for everything. I really enjoyed every single second at this club, from winning silverware to scoring my first goal, against Betis at Old Trafford. Dreams came true. Unbelievably proud to wear the badge. Wish you all the best for the future. Manchester United fans – thank you for everything.”

The veteran striker, who joined the Clarets for £12m in January 2022, had spent time on loan at Besiktas before his Old Trafford move. Now he’ll be far from the Premier League spotlight, but the Bundesliga was great for him in the past. In 118 appearances for Wolfsburg, Weghorst recorded an impressive 59 goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer part of the club, having rescinded his contract in the wake of a bombshell interview in which he blasted thefront office as well as head coach Erik ten Hag.

While the Portuguese star already found a landing spot at Al-Nassr, the Premier League giants are reportedly about to secure his replacement. Their new signing is already making headlines, since he got the best of Lionel Messi in Qatar.

Lionel Messi’s enemy at 2022 World Cup to replace Cristiano Ronaldo at Man Utd

According to transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United have secured the signing of Dutch striker Wout Weghorst, who was on loan at Besiktas from Burnley. However, he became particularly famous by sparking Messi’s rage in the last World Cup.

During an extremely heated Argentina-Netherlands quarterfinal that saw multiple yellow cards, ugly challenges and exchanges that continuedafter the penalty shootout, Weghorst seemed to infuriate Messi more than anyone else.

It was in his postgame interview that Messi dropped the iconic “Anda pa’allá, bobo,” (“Keep moving, idiot”), which Argentine reporter Gaston Edul later revealed was directedto Weghorst.

The 30-year-old forward made an impact coming off the bench that day, scoring twice to force the extra time—including a last-second equalizer. While many Argentinesremember him as the guy who Messi called “bobo,” the truth is Weghorst impressed United enough to takeRonaldo’s spot.

It wasn’t an easy road for La Albiceleste, who had to go to penalties twice in the knockout stages. Before the crucial win over France, Lionel Scaloni‘s men had to sweat to take down the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.

In an extremely heated game, which saw 16 yellow cards, the Argentine playersended up celebrating on the Dutch’s faces. Apart from Louis van Gaal, Messi had an argument with Wout Weghorst—who recently spoke about their altercation.

Wout Weghorst addresses beef with Lionel Messi at Qatar 2022

Things got heated between Argentina and the Netherlands in the final minutes, and the exchanges only escalated as the game went to extra time and later to penalties. In the end, Messi called out van Gaal and also dropped an iconic line directed to Weghorst.

“Anda pa’allá, bobo (Keep moving, idiot),” Messi yelled at Weghorst during his post-game interview. The Besiktas striker, currently on loan from Burnley, tried to downplay the incident, suggesting it was all a misunderstanding and that he has the utmost respect for Messi.

“I always give everything and I did the same in the quarterfinal,”Weghorst told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf, via the Daily Mail. “I fought against Messi and there were a few moments between us. I think he didn’t like it and that it surprised him. But I have a lot of respect for him. He is among the greatest of all time.

“I wanted to show my respect for Messi after the game, but he didn’t want it.I think he was still angry with me. Oh well, I see it as a great compliment that he knows my name now. Then at least I did something right.“

Weghorst is doing the smart thing by not making something bigger out of this. However, we shouldn’t expect Messi to speak about this for a while, since he’s resting after a very demanding tournament.