What’s the story?
Lionel Messi surprised all with a unique celebration against Celta Vigo last night. The Argentine opened the scoring in the 24th minute and left the fans confused with his celebration.
Instead of his typical 'pointing to the sky' celebration, Messi looked to the stands and made a telephone sign with his right hand. This sparked theories that he was talking about his contract negotiations with the club.
However, Messi squashed all such rumours by explaining his celebration after the match ended. He revealed that his nephew had been trying to call him all day, but he was unable to talk to him over the phone.
In case you didn’t know...
Barcelona played against Celta Vigo in La Liga last night. The Catalan side trounced their opponents 5-0 with Messi scoring 2 of the goals.
Apart from the two goals, the Argentine made two assists as well as they, prepared for their Champions League showdown vs Paris Saint-German.
The Spanish side trail by 4-0 and need to win by the same scoreline as they did vs Celta to progress into the last 8 of the European tournament.
The heart of the matter
Messi's nephew kept calling the player before the match, but the Argentine could not answer the calls as he was busy preparing for the game later that night.
Fans watching the match at Camp Nou and on TV were left puzzled after the Barcelona maestro's celebration. While some suggested it regarded his contract talks, some reports said it was a reminder to PSG - the team they face next.
Messi’s brother, Rodrigo was at the Camp Nou last night. Rodrigo was with his children, and the nephew had been calling Leo without success.
Rodrigo posted the celebration on his Instagram page with the following message: “Simply a great”. Here’s the post:
What's next?
Barcelona are set to face Paris Saint-German at Camp Nou this Wednesday night. The Catalan side need to overcome a 4-0 deficit and are chasing history to make it to the next round. Messi has got to be Barcelona's leading man if the La Liga side want to beat the French champions.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Messi’s celebration was a very nice gesture. More than just making sure he knew about the call, the gesture would have even made the kid’s day.
