Lionel Messi given 'demeaning' Kylian Mbappe gift during parade; Here's how he reacted

The Argentina football team celebrated their World Cup 2022 victory with the Argentine countrymen in the streets of Buenos Aires on Tuesday. While the team pulled off a victory parade on a bus, the Argentine skipper Lionel Messi was gifted a 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle' plushie (apparently representing Kylian Mbappe). On getting hold of the ‘insulting’ plushie of his Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammate, Messi had a hilarious reaction.

The video of Messi receiving the ‘demeaning’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle plushie is currently going viral among fans on social media. In the video, Messi can be seen catching the plushie while being seated on the open bus. Messi smiles after checking out the plushie and then proceeds to throw it back to the crowd. Interestingly, Mbappe has always been compared to Michelangelo, one of the four turtles from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series.

Kylian Mbappe has become subject to trolls after World Cup 2022 loss

It is pertinent to mention that several insulting shots have been fired at Mbappe, ever since Argentina became the World Cup champions on Sunday. Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was first spotted making fun of the 24-year-old youngster during the team’s dressing room celebrations in Qatar. Martinez was then spotted holding a doll with Mbappe’s face over it, during the team’s victory parade in Buenos Aires.

Mbappe was undoubtedly the most important player in the French lineup during the FIFA World Cup 2022 final at the Lusail Stadium. The youngster scored a hattrick under immense pressure and almost took the team through to a successful World Cup title defense in Qatar. The PSG superstar scored a total of eight goals at the marquee football event in Qatar and received the Golden Boot for his feat.

Kylian Mbappe's feud with South American football fans

Mbappe has found himself in a tricky situation with Argentine football fans, ever since he compared football in South America to the sport in European competitions. The 2018 World Cup winner reportedly said, “The advantage we have in Europe is that we play among ourselves with high-level matches all the time, such as the Nations League, for example. When we arrive at the World Cup, we are ready, whereas Brazil and Argentina do not have this level in South America. Football is not as advanced as in Europe. That’s why at the last World Cups, it’s always the Europeans who win.”