Erik Goes, the father of emerging Brazilian star Rodrygo has taken aim at Argentine captain Lionel Messi, referring to a verbal altercation between both footballers during a FIFA World Cup qualifier earlier on November 22.
It was a chaotic night at the Maracana Stadium as more than 60,000 fans were present in the stands to enjoy the biggest South American rivalry. Before the on-field proceedings would begin, a turbulent scenario transpired behind one of the goals. Fans of both teams suddenly got engaged in a brawl, forcing the Brazilian police to intervene.
In some widely circulated clips on social media, the police personnel were seen hitting Argentine supporters with batons. One fan also sustained a gruesome injury on his head as he was captured lying on the ground with a bloodied face. While all of these were going on, players from both sides were present on the sidelines, waiting for the situation to get settled. Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez tried to save his country’s people from the ire of the Brazilian police.
A few moments later, the Argentine squad walked off the pitch and went straight into the locker room. They came back almost after 22 minutes when the situation had already come under control.
According to reports cited by Sport Bible, Rodrygo made a sarcastic comment, pointing at the Argentine footballers ahead of the kick-off. The youngster reportedly said, “You are acting like cowards, don’t you want to play the game?”
The remark unquestionably did not go down well with Lionel Messi. Accompanied by his teammate Rodrigo De Paul, the Argentine superstar came forward in support of his team.
Replying to Rodrygo, Messi said, “We are the world champions, how are we cowards? Keep your mouth, watch your mouth.” Glimpses of the heated exchange went viral across social media in no time.
Eric Goes, Rodrygo’s father on Instagram: “Is anyone surprised”
“The saint that doesn’t mess with anyone.” pic.twitter.com/PnCk6Twad2
— Real Madrid Info ³⁵ (@RMadridInfo) November 24, 2023
Rodrygo’s father seems to have Messi’s behaviour quite unacceptable. He took to Instagram and wrote, “Is anyone surprised? The saint that doesn’t mess with anyone.” A fan page of Real Madrid shared a screenshot of the now-disappeared Instagram story on X.
After Argentine secured a narrow 1-0 victory in the World Cup qualifier, Rodrygo reportedly received several racist messages from social media users.
The Real Madrid forward shared the news on Instagram where he wrote, “Racists are always on duty. My social networks were invaded with insults and all sorts of nonsense.” Vinicius Jr also showed support for his teammate. Vinicius was not part of the Argetine fixture due to an injury.