Van Gaal’s Controversial Remarks: Van Gaal pointed out the discrepancy in the number of goals scored by Argentina compared to the Netherlands and the leniency towards Argentina’s players regarding violations during the matches. He implied that the tournament might have been orchestrated in some way. When questioned about his statements, the former Dutch national team coach emphasized, “I’m being honest here. Messi has to be the World Cup champion.”
Argentina’s Performance: Argentina scored 14 goals during the 2022 World Cup, with Messi contributing four of them from penalty kicks. However, Messi also missed a penalty during the group stage match against Poland, a rare occurrence. In contrast, the Netherlands scored 10 goals during the tournament, none of which came from penalty kicks.
Van Gaal’s History with Argentina: Van Gaal had previously led the Netherlands in two World Cup tournaments but faced defeat at the hands of Argentina both times in the knockout stages, including the semi-finals in 2014 and the quarter-finals in 2022. His final match as a coach ended in the loss mentioned earlier in Qatar. Before that game, Van Gaal had described Messi as Argentina’s weakest link and had a plan to contain the team’s captain. He even had his players practice penalty kicks extensively, but they ultimately lost 3-4 in the shootout. Messi scored a penalty after assisting Nahuel Molina for the opening goal.
Argentina’s Penalty Success: Argentina had the highest number of penalties scored in the 2022 World Cup, more than double the record of the second-placed teams, Portugal and France. No other team managed to score more than one penalty kick. After the quarter-final match, Messi also taunted Van Gaal and Dutch forward Wout Weghorst.
Van Gaal’s Retirement: Following the controversial statements and the match, Van Gaal announced his retirement as a coach and hasn’t taken charge of any other team since then. He had an impressive streak of 20 consecutive unbeaten matches, excluding penalty shootouts. On August 9th, Van Gaal underwent surgery for prostate cancer but stated that he felt healthier afterward.
Van Gaal’s Most Gratifying Moments: Reflecting on his career, Van Gaal mentioned moments when he had to make decisions that prioritized the team over individual players’ interests. He expressed that hearing his former players acknowledge the correctness of his decisions years later was the greatest praise for a coach.
Player Responses: In response to Van Gaal’s comments, several players have voiced their opinions in support of Lionel Messi:
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Mark Flekken (Netherlands): “This morning we had a discussion about Van Gaal’s comments on Messi. If that’s his opinion, he’s entitled to share it. But personally, I do not agree with his viewpoint.”
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Patrice Evra: “Messi has carried Argentina. People mock Messi’s World Cup victory because he scored 5 goals from penalties; I say if you’re good at it, step up and take those penalty kicks. I don’t understand what everyone’s arguing about, with that much pressure and the entire nation watching you at the penalty spot, it’s like if you miss, no one will ever forgive you.”
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Virgil Van Dijk: “I DO NOT ACCEPT VAN GAAL’S REMARKS ABOUT MESSI. What Van Gaal said about Messi? He can say whatever he wants; that’s his opinion. However, I do not agree with it, and we do not share the same perspective.”
In addition, there are 7 players currently competing for Chile and 5 players from Barcelona who have spoken out in defense of Lionel Messi against Louis van Gaal’s unfounded statements.
Louis Van Gaal’s recent comments have stirred up debate and garnered strong reactions from players across the football world. The controversy surrounding Messi’s World Cup victory continues to fuel discussions about the tournament and the challenges faced by both players and coaches in the pursuit of greatness on the global stage.
