Lionel Messi has once again interrupted a post-match interview at the World Cup to have words with a member of the opposition.
The Paris Saint-Germain star produced another magical performance to lead Argentina to a win over Croatia in the semi-finals on Tuesday. That ensured they booked their place in Sunday's final, with Messi scoring once and setting two other goals up.
His starring performance in that game followed on from his role in Argentina 's win over the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. Again he scored his side's second goal, before converting his penalty in the shootout that decided the game.
That match was fiercely contested, with tempers continuing to bubble after the final whistle. One incident after Argentina's win came when Messi stopped an interview to tell Netherlands star Wout Weghorst: "What are you looking at fool? Get back there."
Weghorst has since insisted he merely went to shake the superstar's hand, though it has also been suggested he was seeking to swap shirts. Former Argentina star Sergio Aguero then insisted it was Weghorst who started the confrontation, which ended after Messi's intervention.
Now, the Argentina captain has once again interrupted his post-match interview, this time with broadcaster TyC Sports. It was for a much more positive reason than his interaction with Weghorst, though.
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As Messi was being questioned, he turned to his left and moved over to where Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic was approaching him. The duo then clasped hands, with Dalic appearing to wish Messi luck for the final.
Dalic then walked off, with Messi returning to being interviewed by the Argentine reporter. It is little surprise their interaction was warmer than the one Messi had with Weghorst, judging by Dalic's comments after his side's defeat.
“Nothing much needs to be said about Messi. He is the best player in the world, he was dangerous and he has quality. He has technique and put in a high level performance, it was the true Messi we expected to see," the Croatia boss said.
"Argentina have an excellent team and Messi being a player of such quality and with thousands of supporters behind him, they play as they best see fit. Today they had four midfielders in the middle and we tried to play aggressively.
"But Messi can make one move and make a difference, which he did for the third goal. I congratulate Argentina on reaching the final. Sometimes luck favours you, sometimes not. That's the way it is. We have nothing to complain about."
Argentina will now face France or Morocco in the final on Sunday, with Messi looking to win the first World Cup of his career. Whether he has another interaction during his post-match interviews for that game remains to be seen, though PSG team-mates Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi play for France and Morocco respectively.
