Andy Murray and Piers Morgan get involved in spat over Lionel Messi

Andy Murray and Piers Morgan have been involved in an online spat over Lionel Messi after the Argentine superstar scored for his country in the 2-0 World Cup win over Mexico. The two men are on different sides of football’s GOAT debate and that came to the fore after the 35-year-old inspired his team to victory in Qatar. 

Morgan has regularly argued that Messi is second to Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to the best football player ever, with Murray being of the opposite persuasion. The issue has become more topical again following the 57-year-old’s tell-all interview with the Portugal captain a week ago before the two footballing superstars set their sights on claiming the World Cup for the first time in Qatar. 

The duo argued over who was the greatest of all time again after Messi’s opening goal in Argentina’s over Mexico. The South Americans had struggled to get a foothold in the game until the forward smashed home from the edge of the box in the 64th minute of the match. 

Murray believed the strike was enough to prove his point and tagged Morgan in a tweet that quite simply read “oops” with a picture of Messi celebrating his goal. In response, the broadcaster tweeted: “I can see why you like him… both the 2nd best players in your sport to come from your own country. #Maradona #Perry.”

JUST IN: Man Utd target Adrien Rabiot drops future hint following failed move

Earlier this week Morgan had tried to intensify the GOAT debate after Ronaldo scored a penalty against Ghana. The 37-year-old completed his iconic ‘Siu’ celebration right in front of a picture of Messi, with the Talk TV presenter jumping at the opportunity to make a cheeky point about it. 

He tweeted: “Even Messi knows,” next to a picture of the celebration with the clear implication that it had proved his point. 

Murray has previously stated that Messi is the best ever with one of his more entertaining remarks on the matter coming over the age-old question over whether or not he could do it on a cold Wednesday night in Stoke. 

“I watched him a bit when he was much younger,” he said when asked about the Argentine when he was set to leave the Nou Camp in 2020. “When I lived in Barcelona I got to see him play a couple of times. I’ve heard a lot of people say ‘could he do it on a cold Wednesday [night] in Stoke?’, and I’ve always said ‘of course he could because he’s the best player ever’ … he’d be absolutely fine, so I’d like to see him show a few people that he can do that.”

DON’T MISS…
Employers are nervous Brits will pull a sickie to watch World Cup
Spain boss Luis Enrique makes strange ‘orgies’ comment about his squad
BBC apologise after Wales vs Iran World Cup clash cuts out mid-match

Argentina’s victory today means La Albiceleste need to beat Poland in order to secure their progression to the round of 16. A win may even be enough to ensure they top the group so long as the result from Mexico vs Saudi Arabia goes their way. 

Whoever comes second in the group is likely to play France in the next round so there is much riding on the last set of games. Both matches get underway at 7 pm on Wednesday and will be broadcast live on the BBC.