Lionel Messi brutally pied Salt Bae after finally winning the World Cup with Argentina.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner scored twice in a breathtaking 3-3 draw with France at the Lusail Stadium and the clash went all the way to penalties after Kylian Mbappe completed a stunning World Cup final hat-trick with a late spot-kick in extra time.
Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni both missed their penalties before Gonzalo Montiel sent Hugo Lloris the wrong way and secured a third World Cup win for Argentina.
There were euphoric scenes amongst the Albiceleste players, with Messi getting all the attention after getting his hands on the prize which has evaded him for so long.
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Somehow, viral celebrity chef Salt Bae, real name, Nusret Gökçe managed to get onto the pitch and up close and personal with the winners.
He was in the same vicinity as captain and talisman Messi but cameras captured the 35-year-old giving him the cold shoulder.
The Turkish salt sprinkler, wearing a suit and sunglasses, tapped Messi to try and get his attention on two occasions and though he briefly turned around - he wasn't having any of it and looked quite angry.
Messi was being bombarded by picture requests from family members of his teammates and happily obliged for many.
Salt Bae was clearly persistent though and managed to get his snap with Messi, sharing it on his Instagram page to his 49.8 million followers.
He also posed with Angel di Maria, Leandro Paredes, Nicolas Otamendi, Paulo Dybala, Alexis Mac Allister and many other of Lionel Scaloni's winning crop.
Salt Bae is known for his expensive gold steaks but he managed to touch the 18-carat gold World Cup trophy, said to be worth a ridiculous £17.7 million.
The rules say that the trophy can only be touched by a "select group of people", namely former winners of the FIFA World Cup and heads of state.
It seems as though Salt Bae has had a career change, or that he was made to be a special exception.
He infamously got a picture with Mo Salah after the 2018 Champions League final, with the Egyptian looking less than happy as he stood with his arm in a sling after Sergio Ramos' challenge.
Five years on and fans were furious over him getting where water seemingly can't.
One wrote: "Gotta respect Salt Bae. Never has a man rinsed more out of putting some salt on a steak."
A second said: "Salt Bae pestering Messi has to be the perfect symbol for all the awful off-field s**t hovering around and poisoning anything good about this World Cup. Dismal little character."
Journalist Martyn Ziegler commented: "I’d love to hear FIFA’s explanation of why this celebrity chef gets access onto the pitch at a World Cup final for selfies with Messi etc."
Another user added: "Messi told Salt Bae no twice while he's trying to hug his family, guy chased and grabbed him again.”
Topics: Lionel Messi, Argentina, Football World Cup
Josh Lawless