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Canelo Alvarez Apologizes to Lionel Messi After Comments About Mexico Jersey Video
November 30, 2022
Canelo Alvarez issued an apology Wednesday for threatening Lionel Messi on social media following Mexico's loss to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup.
The boxer took issue with Messi celebrating in the locker room with a Mexico jersey on the ground and kicking it with his foot.
Uriel Chacón | @DimeChacon_Afición mexicana poniéndose ayer el jersey de <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Messi?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Messi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Argentina?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Argentina</a> 🇦🇷 y su ídolo pateando la playera de <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/M%C3%A9xico?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#México</a> 🇲🇽que estaba en el suelo. <a href="https://t.co/j9PcnAo3WT">pic.twitter.com/j9PcnAo3WT</a>
Alvarez seemed to believe Messi kicked the Mexican jersey on purpose, taking it as a sign of disrespect. He tweeted Messi "better pray to God that I don't find him," while most observers found Alvarez to be overreacting to what was seemingly an innocent situation.
Retired Argentine striker Sergio Agüero came to Messi's defense and also engaged in a war of words with Alvarez.
"Mr. Canelo, don't look for excuses or problems, surely you don't know about soccer and what happens in a locker room," Agüero wrote on social media. "The shirts are always on the floor after the games are over due to sweat and then if you see well, he makes the movement to remove the boot and accidentally hits it."
Alvarez responded with an expletive-laden tweet, calling Agüero a "b---h." Agüero came back at Canelo in a follow-up video, saying Alvarez has "earned the hatred of all of Argentina."
Messi has not commented on the controversy, and Alvarez's apology appears to be an attempt to squash the beef before it continues escalating.
