While the Argentinian team attempted to enjoy their World Cup victory, Salt Bae, stole the squad’s thunder by performing his trademark ‘sprinkle’ over the trophy.
In 2017, the Turkish butcher’s interesting techniques for preparing food, gained global notoriety. Due to his rise to fame, he’s had the opportunity to welcome hundreds of celebrities through his restaurant’s doors. But while in most cases, those famous people enjoy his company, ‘La Selección’ seemed bemused by his appearance on the pitch.
While we can’t overlook the human rights infringements in the host nation of Qatar, from a sporting perspective, the final delivered. It had twists, turns and a plethora of spectacular moments.
After a dominating first half, the South American side looked to have had the match wrapped up, only to be brought back down to Earth by two pieces of genius from Kylian Mbappé.
But in a testament to their powers of resilience, the Argentinian squad bounced back, with the legendary Lionel Messi finding the back of the net in extra time. However, once again, the Argentinians couldn’t dissuade the 23-year-old Frenchman, who sealed a hat-trick to send the game to penalties.
However, despite nearly handing the game away, Lionel Scaloni’a men rallied. With some heroics from Emiliano Martinez, Argentina emerged victorious. And not only did the win mark their first World Cup since 1986, but it also cemented Lionel Messi’s as the greatest player of all time.
So it’s a shame that the infamous chef took the opportunity to grab the spotlight for himself.
Read: Dana White calls football the ‘least talented sport on Earth’ (sporf.com)
Salt Bae hits the headlines for World Cup controversy
The social media sensation – real name, Nusret Gökçe – paraded onto the field wearing a VIP badge around his neck. He then proceeded to badger the players for a photo. Messi shrugged him off twice, before eventually giving in.
In another clip, the chef snatched the trophy from Lisandro Martinez before performing his salt-sprinkling trick. And in perhaps the most controversial video, he shook his finger at Cristian Romero’s baby, when the youngster tried to grab the trophy. He then pulled it away, kissed it and lifted it atop his head as if he’d won the competition himself.
Featured Image Credit: Salt Bae
