Lisandro Martinez has nicknamed his new Manchester United team-mate Wout Weghorst ‘bobo’, and it’s inspired by Lionel Messi.
Weghorst joined Manchester United on loan from Burnley in the January transfer window after a striker shortage at the club and had a few old rivals greeting him at Old Trafford, such as Martinez.
Back in December, after Argentina’s fiery World Cup quarter-final against the Netherlands where Weghorst scored twice to help take the tie to penalties, he had an unsavoury meeting with Messi.
Post-match, the Dutch forward went to greet the Argentine great during an interview and shake his hand, but was met by an angry Messi who said: "Que miras bobo. Anda palla," which translates as: "What are you looking at, idiot?"
While the tie has become infamous for being one of the feistiest matches in World Cup history for its aggressiveness and intensity, Martinez still sees the funny side of the post-match incident.
He now refers to Weghorst as ‘bobo’, according to Sport, and despite the Netherlands’ heartbreaking defeat, the forward doesn’t seem to mind the nickname.
He said later on that he was grateful Messi even knew his name and hailed him as one of the sport’s all-time greats: “I always give everything and I did the same in the quarter-final,” he told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf.
“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.
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“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’s nickname will stick with him until July, when his loan spell runs out at Manchester United and he’ll be hoping to perform well enough to extend his stay in Erik ten Hag’s team.
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