Emotions fly high when it comes to sports. Such has been the order of nature.

There’s a reason stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are regarded as big as they are.

The people involved always tend to be a bit passionate (or should we call it fanatical) about the sport they hold dear.

But the passion for sports is nothing compared to one thing – the love for their nation.

No matter what any athlete says about sports transcending boundaries, we all know that the real passion comes in when you add patriotism to the mix.

And with the globe’s biggest sporting event, the FIFA World Cup going full throttle, emotions are soaring higher than they normally do.

Lionel Messi

Did Leonel Messi really disrespect the Mexican flag?

Canelo Alvarez’s recent rant about Lionel Messi’s antics is just proof of the same. Not to condone what Messi actually did. The jury is out on whether his act was intentional or not.

In a viral clip, Messi can be seen celebrating their victory over Mexico with his teammates. The 35-year-old was the hero of the game, scoring the goal that changed the tie on its head. He kicked the ball beautifully past the goalkeeper.

Messi seen allegedly cleaning the flood with Mexican flag in viral post-match celebration clip

The Argentinian has still run into trouble. That too for his art of kicking.

In the post-match celebration in the dressing room, he can be seen ‘kicking’ the Mexican jersey, or to put it precisely, cleaning the floor with it – an act against which the whole nation has erupted in anger.

Canelo Alvarez becomes the voice of Mexico

Canelo Alvarez calls out Lionel Messi

Articulating the voice of the masses is boxing superstar, Canelo Alvarez. He was irked by Messi’s actions and took to Twitter to remind the Barcelona icon not to mess with the wrong people. He tweeted,

“Did you guys see Messi cleaning the floor with our jersey and flag. He better pray to God that I don’t find him. Just like I respect Argentina, he has to respect Mexico!”

Looks like someone needs to teach Messi the code. And Canelo Alvarez is more than interested. After facing backlash from folks for threatening Messi with physical violence despite the nonserious nature of his act, he came out all guns blazing again.

He tweeted again,

“Whoever doesn’t defend his homeland is an asshole… fanaticism is one thing, your identity is another. LONG LIVE MEXICO!”

Messi is sure to be lamenting that post-match celebration now.