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Former Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig has hit back at Los Angeles FC's Giorgio Chiellini after he called the Spaniard a clown for imitating Lionel Messi's celebration.
Puig was on the scoresheet in LA Galaxy's 2-0 US Open Cup last 16 win over LAFC on Wednesday (May 24). The Spanish midfielder celebrated by taking his shirt off and displaying his name to supporters at the BMO Stadium.
It held comparisons to Lionel Messi's famous celebration when he scored Barcelona's winner in an El Clasico win over Real Madrid in 2017. Puig's celebration was a polarizing one and didn't go down well with Chiellini. The veteran defender walked past the Spaniard during a post-match interview and could be heard calling him a:
"Payaso" - which translates to "clown"."
Puig has responded to Chiellini's insult with a simple dig on social media. The LA Galaxy midfielder reposted a tweet from a Twitter user that explained why the Italian hates the Spaniard. This tweet included a video of a goal scored by Puig in a friendly between Barca and Juventus. He captioned the reposted tweet with a yawning face emoticon.
Puig joined Galaxy last summer on a free transfer after being deemed surplus to requirements by Barcelona boss Xavi. The 23-year-old has scored two goals in 14 games across competitions for the MLS side.
Barcelona legend Lionel Messi explains his trademark point-to-the-sky celebration
Lionel Messi cemented his legacy as one of Barcelona's greatest-ever players during 16 illustrious seasons at Camp Nou. The Argentine hero bagged 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 games.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner lit up La Liga season after season and also mesmerized fans with some iconic celebrations. None more so than the point-to-the-sky celebration that has become synonymous with him.
Lionel Messi has explained that this celebration is in dedication to his late grandmother Celia Olivera Cuccittini. She sadly passed away when he was 11. He said (via talkSPORT):
"I am doing this because I dedicate my goals to my grandmother. She took to me to football, but now she can't see how far I have come. Nevertheless, she continues to help me and my family."
Messi has since used the celebration for Argentina and PSG. The iconic forward could be seen pointing to the sky throughout La Abiceleste's World Cup triumph in Qatar last year.
He looked to the heavens during the World Cup final penalty shootout win over France. Just before the winning penalty was scored he whispered to his late grandmother (via The Mirror):
"Puede ser hoy, abu“ which translates to English – “It could be today, grandma."
Messi watched on as Gonzalo Montiel tucked away the winning spot kick. It was the first time the Barcelona legend had won the World Cup.
