Wojciech Szczesny says he put a £100 bet on the Argentine star Lionel Messi after they were awarded a controversial penalty in the first half. It came following a VAR review in the Poland vs Argentina match on Wednesday.
After having a clear review of the potential penalty on the pitch-side monitor, Dutch referee Danny Makkelie pointed to the spot. This has surprised many fans.
Szczesny restricted Messi while he was aiming to clear the ball with his arms, stretched in the mid-air. Messi went for a head but the goal-scoring opportunity wasn’t prominent.
Messi got down, grabbed his face, and then came the penalty. Szczesny’s save was excellent that kept both teams 0-0 before the halftime whistle blew.
Bet with Messi
Szczesny revealed that he had a word with Messy before the penalty and he bet £100 that it wasn’t going to be called a penalty. He further added that he has lost a bet against Messi and that he’s unaware if the World Cup rules allow it so he’ll be banned.
“And I’m not going to pay him either! He doesn’t care about £100, come on!”, said Szczesny.
Being asked if Messi already has enough money, he replied,
“Yeah, I think so.”
Szczesny on saving Messi’s penalty
The former Arsenal goalkeeper said,
“I immediately told the referee that I touched him with my hand in the face, but I only hit him on the side of his face. I told him there was contact but I don’t think there is a penalty. The referee decided otherwise and that’s fine. I got to show off.”
Talking about the goal save, he said,
“I knew that if he was going to hit hard, it would be more to my left. I saw that he was not stopping, so I went l, I sensed, I defended. I’m happy because the penalty gave me something in the end. Very big satisfaction. I owed it to the team.”
Read More: FIFA plan to introduce penalty shootouts even in the group stage matches at the 2026 World Cup
