‘Messi should have told him to show more RESPECT!’: UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin lashes out at Argentina star for not intervening and defending PSG teammate Kylian Mbappé when he was ‘mocked’ by Emi Martinez after World Cup triumph
- UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin has feasted on Emi Martinez’s celebrations
- The goalkeeper mocked Kylian Mbappé after Argentina’s World Cup victory
- Ceferin said Lionel Messi should have taught Martinez to show more respect
The UEFA president has questioned why Emiliano Martinez went so far as to taunt Kylian Mbappé after the World Cup final.
Argentina won a thrilling showpiece final in Qatar in December 2022, with the Aston Villa shot-stopper claiming the Golden Glove award for his performance throughout the tournament.
The 30-year-old sparked some controversy for his actions in taunting PSG’s Mbappé during the decisive penalty shoot-out against France, and the lewd way he celebrated with the Golden Glove trophy.
Now a new book “Messianic” by Argentine journalist Sebastián Fest and French reporter Alexandre Juillard suggests UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin was unimpressed by Martinez’s antics – and wondered why his Argentina teammate Lionel Messi – also colleagues with Mbappé at PSG – didn’t. step in to master it.
As reported in Mundo Deportivo, Ceferin said: “I don’t understand why Dibu mocked Mbappe. Messi should have told him to show respect.’
Lionel Messi, Emiliano Martinez and Kylian Mbappé won prizes after the World Cup final
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin shocked by Martinez’s actions during the World Cup final
Ceferin: ‘Ultimately, Messi plays all year with Kylian Mbappé.
“When you see how he reacted on penalties… I can’t understand why he makes fun of Mbappé, the one with the dummy and things like that. That’s not sportsmanship, that was primitive and I didn’t like that.’
The UEFA president also called Martinez’s decision to place the Golden Glove trophy in front of his genitals shortly after accepting the award as “something disgusting”.
Ceferin said Martinez’s lewd gesture with the Golden Glove trophy was “disgusting.”
Ceferin added: ‘That is not done. You won the World Cup! Show some greatness, show that you are not primitive. You can be a perfect goalkeeper, but if you’re not a good person…”
The Slovenian lawyer, 55, also claimed Argentina ‘deserved’ to win the trophy because it beat France on that night, even though he felt the South American side ‘wouldn’t even have reached the quarter-finals’ without Messi’s involvement.
After a shaky start to their league campaign, Martinez’s Aston Villa have significantly improved their fortunes under new boss Unai Emery.
Meanwhile, PSG’s season has fallen apart since the players returned from the World Cup in the winter. They were eliminated from the Champions League in the round of 16 and their lead in Ligue 1 has shrunk.