Lionel Messi gets nominated for bizarre award he's never won after outburst

Messi is one of the greatest players of all time with a trophy cabinet to back it up - winning almost everything possible on a football pitch.

Well, almost everything - and the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has now been nominated for the Anger of the Year at the ESLAND Awards 2024.

If you are unaware of the ESLAND Awards, don't be alarmed - it is an annual event that honours Spanish-speaking content creators with Messi landing a spot on the shortlist after an outburst last year.

In October, after scooping his eighth Ballon d'Or, Messi lashed out at Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos.

The Argentina international accused the Twitch star, who is close to Messi pals Gerard Pique and Sergio Aguero, of breaking his trust and leaking private news.

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While speaking to Llanos after winning the Ballon d'Or, he smiled as he said: "I'm not going to answer you anymore because you make everything public.

"I don't like it… The Ballon d'Or? Now you are changing the topic you son of a b****."

For a player that is usually so calm and serene in his interviews, it was quite a shocking moment from Messi, albeit light-hearted in nature.

And it has landed him a nomination for Anger of the Year at the ESLAND Awards, which is determined by public votes.

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The awards ceremony is set to go ahead on February 17 and 18 but Messi's appearance is highly unlikely - despite being the favourite to win the award.

With so many golden boots, individual prizes and European trophies, it might be a surprise to see the 2022 World Cup winner giving too much of a hoot for this unusual award.

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While Messi has a reputation for being somewhat quiet, his guard came down at the World Cup after Argentina beat the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.

In a match fraught with controversy and some chopping challenges, the eventual winners emerged victorious on penalties.

In his post-match interview, Messi taunted Wout Weghorst who was standing nearby when he said: "Que miras, bobo? Anda pa alla bobo," which translates to "What are you looking at, fool? Go over there, fool."

That moment also earned Messi a nomination for best viral moment at the MTV MIAW Awards in 2023.

And the 36-year-old was nominated alongside Shakira for his diss track aimed at ex Pique, though neither would ultimately win the obviously prestigious award.