Liverpool star reveals he and Mo Salah keep irritating Virgil van Dijk with iconic Lionel Messi quote from 2022 World Cup

Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has revealed how a quote from Lionel Messi jokingly helps them irritate Reds captain Virgil van Dijk. This stems from the aftermath of the 2022 Qatar World Cup clash between Argentina and the Netherlands, where things got quite heated.

The quarterfinal was very fiery, as it saw 18 yellow cards shared between both teams, including one red card. After the penalty shootout, which La Albiceleste eventually won, tempers boiled over again. Dutch striker Wout Werghost followed Lionel Messi down the tunnel and seemed to linger while the Argentine legend responded to a press interview.

Messi notably reacted to the tall striker's presence by saying the words:

"Anda pa alla, bobo."

This translates to:

"What are you looking at bobo (fool)?"

The quote became viral, and ever since, Liverpool teammates Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah have playfully tormented Virgil van Dijk with it. The Reds defender was a part of the Netherlands side that lost to Argentina in that game, and it is a jab that will likely hit close to home.

Argentina midfielder Mac Allister revealed (via Albiceleste Talk):

"Me and Salah, all day long are saying 'ANDA PA ALLÁ, BOBO' [Messi to Weghorst] to Van Dijk. We are driving him crazy and we also throw that to each other."

Lionel Messi scored a penalty, which ended 2-2 in normal time, before converting his penalty in the shootout as well.

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Argentina switches exhibition match opponent to Costa Rica after Lionel Messi gaffe in China

Argentina's national football team is now set to play against Costa Rica in an exhibition match on March 26 in Los Angeles. Initially, La Albiceleste had planned to tour China in that period and play matches against Nigeria in Hangzhou and Ivory Coast in Beijing.

However, the tour was canceled. This came after Lionel Messi missed a preseason game with Inter Miami in Hong Kong because of a groin injury. Hong Kong fans weren't happy with his absence, and the government took further offence when he played in Japan only three days later.

Messi has since apologized for this, but it has not quelled the tension. The tour remains cancelled, and instead of playing Nigeria in China, Argentina will now face Costa Rica in the USA (via Sportstar).

La Albiceleste also have other friendly matches lined up. They will play against El Salvador on March 22 and face Ecuador on June 9. They will also face Guatemala on June 14, with all these matches taking place in the USA.