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Charles Barkley is not a huge soccer fan, but he praised the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France. Barkley gave a shout out to Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe for their unforgettable performances in the final.
On "The Steam Room" podcast, Barkley said that the 2022 World Cup final was the first soccer match he watched entirely. The former NBA MVP even called the Argentina vs France game the most exciting sports event he has ever watched.
"I know absolutely nothing about soccer, but I did something I've never done in my life before," Barkley said. "I watched an entire soccer game, and it turned into the most exciting sports I might ever seen. That thing between Argentina and France, Messi and Mbappe, that was some of the most incredible things I've ever seen."
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He added:
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"I'm not a soccer fan. I don't want to be one of these jacka**es on television who get on TV all the time and act like he knows everything about every sport. I know about basketball, and that's it. But I just want to give a shoutout to Messi, Mbappe, World Cup fans, that was one of the most exciting things I've ever seen."
It takes a lot to impress someone like Barkley, but it took a lot more, as he's not a soccer fan. However, Argentina vs France was a special game and could go down as one of the greatest event in the sport.
Messi finally delivered a World Cup to Argentina, adding the prestigious trophy to his ridiculous resume. Meanwhile, Mbappe scored a hat-trick and proved that he's one of the best young players in the world.
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Charles Barkley has a feud with soccer star Memphis Depay
Before the United States took on the Netherlands in the Round of 16 of the World Cup, Charles Barkley guaranteed victory for the Americans. However, the Dutch were too good and went on to eliminate the USMNT from the tournament.
Following the game, Netherlands star forward Memphis Depay took a shot at Barkley for his remarks.
"The Round Mound of Rebound" went on to respond to Depay on "The Steam Room" podcast. Barkley hilariously threatened to open a "can of whoop-a**" on Depay for his Twitter post.
"I wanna give a shoutout to US men's soccer," Barkley said. "Obviously, we lost to the Netherlands. I saw this dude take a shot at me, from the Netherlands. ... And this dude took a shot at me on Twitter, apparently. He says, 'You're all bark and no bite.'
Charles Barkley continued:
"He took a shot at me. His name was Memphis something. Memphis, when I see you, I'm gonna open up a can of whoop-a** on you." Memphis, whatever your last name is, somebody named you after a city."
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