Lisandro Martinez has conceded that Manchester United players jokingly call Wout Weghorst ‘bobo’ after Lionel Messi’s criticism of the player during the World Cup.
Weghorst, who signed for the Red Devils on loan from Burnley in January, played for the Netherlands in a fiery World Cup game with Argentina in Qatar.
The South American team came out on top in the bad-tempered match, which saw 15 yellow cards handed out to players by referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz.
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The game even went to penalties after a 2-2 draw in normal time, with Weghorst coming off the bench to score a brace for Louis van Gaal’s side.
After the clash, Paris Saint-Germain forward Messi was seen arguing with the Netherlands head coach and his assistant Edgar Davids.
Messi was also seen shouting something in the direction of Weghorst in an interview, with reports claiming the Argentine star said: “What are you looking at bobo (fool)? Get back there.”
And United defender Martinez has now revealed that he and other United teammates wind up Weghorst by calling him ‘bobo’. But, the defender was also keen to insist how it reflects the strong spirit within the team.
“Here we are killing each other all the time, he takes it well,” Martinez told TyC Sports. “I call him ‘bobo’ all the time as a joke, as do others. I would say to him ‘good morning, bobo’, I say ‘bobo’ to him, it’s already like that and he takes it well, he’s a good boy, we have a good vibes – and he is always laughing.”
Discussing how the duo reflect on the game between the Netherlands and Argentina at the World Cup, he added: “He feels that he played the game of his life, but he always stresses to me about the people of Argentina, about the fans, about how they supported us, he said it was crazy.”
Messi previously conceded his argument with Weghorst was ‘natural’ and not planned. In an interview with Argentine journalist Andy Kusnetzoff, the former Barcelona star recalled the heated exchange with the Dutchman.
When asked if he prepared such insult for his opponent, Messi said: “The truth is no. I didn’t like it. It came out at the moment and yes, I knew what had been said before the game, what he had said.
“Some of my teammates told me ‘did you see what he said’ on purpose. We went 2-0 [up] and then at the time, I don’t like what I did, what happened later with the ‘bobo’.
“These are moments of great tension, a lot of anxiousness, everything happens very quickly and you don’t have time to think about anything. Actually, nothing was planned, it happened like that and as I say, it isn’t an image I like to give off.
“Everything that came out was natural, a lot had happened on the field with that player, in reality and a couple more. At the moment of tension, friction, confrontations, when the game goes like that, the heat with the referee too. I was in the mixed zone and the game had just finished. And well, I know there’s all sorts now.”
