Salt Bae claims he will “NEVER set foot on a World Cup pitch again” while explaining why he harassed Argentinian players and lifted the trophy after last year’s final in Qatar
Celebrity chef Salt Bae has opened up about his global humiliation at last year’s World Cup final when he bizarrely took the field and chased after several Argentina players shortly after they beat France to lift the trophy.
Lionel Messi seemed visibly frustrated that the celebrity chef was trying to get close to him as he celebrated winning the only major trophy he had missed in his glittering career.
In other embarrassing scenes, the chef put another player’s medal in his mouth and kept trying to take the trophy from the Argentina team amid the cheers.
Now the 39-year-old, whose real name is Nusret Gokce, has tried to explain what he was thinking and says he will never set foot on the pitch again at a World Cup.
“I love Argentina; I lived there. “I went to support them,” he told the Times of why he was at the game.
“Many of them [the team] came to the restaurant. I didn’t feel like a stranger. It was a special moment. I can’t say anything about why I was there, but I would never set foot on the World Cup field again.
Lionel Messi was visibly unfazed by Salt Bae chasing him shortly after winning the World Cup with Argentina last year
Salt Bae couldn’t take the hint and grabbed it a second time in blatant scenes
Messi finally reluctantly shook hands with the Z player at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar
FIFA was faced with the question of how Salt Bae gained access to the pitch at Lusail Stadium
The 39-year-old showed a complete lack of class and placed more emphasis on living his moment with the trophy than leaving the players to cheer
“Two billion people watched the World Cup… How many people are talking about me?” Five billion. The whole world.’
“I didn’t go out there for promotional purposes; I just felt like it. Then it was a little surprise. There were at least 1,000 people left on the field, but when they showed the video, they realized it was just me.
“I never, ever wanted to overshadow anything. I didn’t like the attention. I didn’t kick anyone, didn’t steal anything.’
Footage has surfaced on social media showing the Turkish chef desperately trying to approach Messi – putting his hand on his shoulder and encouraging him to reluctantly shake his hand before trying to pull him back .
Salt Bae also reached out to Messi’s Argentina team-mate Angel Di Maria, who posed for a video with the winger and said ‘wow’ as they held the trophy together.
He then banged on the precious gold trophy with a silver ring he was wearing, which caused an audible clink and left Di Maria completely confused beside him.
FIFA rules state that only a “very select group of people”, including world champions and heads of state, may touch the trophy – raising the question as to why the Z-lister was even allowed anywhere near the trophy.
The governing body said it was investigating how he got on the field but had not released any findings publicly.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has already been photographed in Salt Bae’s restaurants.