Mexico’s Andres Guardado rips Canelo Alvarez for Lionel Messi threat

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez does not represent the Mexican national team’s sentiment about Lionel Messi.

One day after the legendary boxer threatened Argentina’s soccer megastar, Mexico’s captain at the World Cup, Andres Guardado, dismissed the comments as “silly.”

As is customary between opponents after games, Guardado exchanged jerseys with Messi after Mexico’s 2-0 loss to Argentina on Saturday. After video surfaced of the Argentinian team celebrating in the locker room, Alvarez, who is Mexican, accused Messi of deliberately stepping on the Mexican jersey Guardado gave him.

“I know the person Messi is,” Guardado told reporters, per Argentinian broadcaster TyC Sports. “It’s a deal with the staff that when it’s all sweaty, it gets left on the floor. Be it your jersey or rival. Canelo doesn’t know what a dressing room is.”

Guardado’s gifted jersey was laying on the ground among others as a shirtless Messi chanted jubilantly along with his teammates by their lockers. Messi’s left foot appears to be on top of Guardado’s jersey during the festivity, although it appears inadvertent.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Alvarez, who has won titles in four divisions and is the current undisputed super middleweight champion of the world, didn’t seem to care.

“Did you guys see Messi cleaning the floor with our jersey and flag,” Alvarez tweeted. “He better pray to God that I don’t find him. Just like I respect Argentina, he has to respect Mexico!”

Follow all the 2022 World Cup action with more from the New York Post

In addition to his threat, Alvarez also responded to a tweet posting a picture from a fake Lionel Messi Instagram account depicting a wooden stick poking a Mexican jersey on the ground. Alvarez quote-tweeted the image with “Hdp,” an acronym for “Hijo de puta,” which translates to “Son of a bitch.”

Messi scored and assisted in the win to bring Argentina second in the group. They face Poland on Wednesday, looking to advance to the knockout round as Group C remains wide open.