Home » Messi branded ‘disrespectful and lack of education’ by former Mexico player Bautista

Messi branded ‘disrespectful and lack of education’ by former Mexico player Bautista

Adolfo Bautista Criticizes Lionel Messi for Disrespecting Mexico after the Argentina legend’s gesture toward the fans during a friendly.

Visit SportsMania for more tennis news and updates.

Check out M88 Mansion’s best offers here.

What happened with Messi and why Bautista branded him ‘lack of education’

Former Mexican midfielder Adolfo Bautista has accused Lionel Messi of being disrespectful after the Argentine superstar taunted Mexico’s national team.

During a friendly match between Inter Miami (USA) and Club America (Mexico) on January 18, Messi faced boos from the Mexican fans. In response, he raised three fingers, symbolizing Argentina’s three FIFA World Cup titles, while Mexico has never reached the semifinals.

😳🇲🇽 ‘Bofo’ Bautista responds to Lionel Messi on Instagram after his gestures towards the Mexican fans yesterday:

“I admired you as a player, but messing with my country, speaks of your lack of professionalism and education”. 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/xA8wDYwDrF

— All Fútbol MX 🇲🇽 (@AllFutbolMX) January 19, 2025

Bautista didn’t hold back his disapproval. He posted two photos on Instagram, showing himself tackling Messi during the 2010 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match, alongside the caption: “I used to admire you. But disrespecting my country shows your lack of professionalism and education.”

The photo Bautista shared was from Mexico’s 1-3 defeat to Argentina in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. That match saw Carlos Tevez score twice and Gonzalo Higuain add one more, while Mexico’s lone goal came from Javier Hernandez. Argentina advanced but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Germany in a 0-4 loss.

Former Mexico international Adolfo "Bofo" Bautista wasn't a fan of Lionel Messi's celebration against Club América this weekend.

Messi appeared to gesture to the Club América supporters that Argentina has won three World Cups and Mexico has zero.

(via bb_7_/IG) pic.twitter.com/hJscTBUzBD

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 20, 2025

Bautista, now 45 years old, played his entire career in the Americas and represented Mexico 38 times, scoring 11 goals. This isn’t the first time Bautista has criticized an Argentine player. Previously, he called out coach Fernando Gago, who left Guadalajara to return to Argentina as Boca Juniors’ manager, labeling him “a disloyal coach and nothing more than a mercenary.”

Since his remarks about Messi, Bautista’s social media has been flooded with thousands of comments, many of which include photos of Messi kissing the 2022 FIFA World Cup trophy. Messi was instrumental in Argentina’s third World Cup triumph, scoring seven goals and being named the tournament’s best player.

The January 18 match marked Messi’s first game of 2025 after a nearly three-month winter break. Inter Miami is set to play four more friendlies before starting their competitive season against Sporting KC in the Concacaf Champions Cup, North and Central America’s equivalent of the UEFA Champions League.