“In recent days I have been carried away by the passion and love for my country and made inappropriate comments, for which I want to apologize to Messi and the Argentine people,” Álvarez said on Twitter.
The boxing champion responded to images from Argentina’s dressing room after the win against Mexico. A video shows Messi hitting a Mexican shirt with his shoe, but he does not look down. Álvarez then accused Messi of a lack of respect for his country. “Did you see Messi cleaning the ground with our jersey and our flag?” he said. “He better ask God that I don’t run into him.”
There were immediate reactions to Álvarez’s comments explaining that it is not uncommon for football shirts to be left on the floor after the game. “Every day we learn something new and this time it was my turn,” said the middleweight boxing champion.