In response to a problematic event that occurred during Qatar 2022 late last year, ‘Salt Bae’ has spoken out, announcing that he will never again step foot on a FIFA World Cup pitch.

The Turkish chef has finally addressed his actions during the World Cup

Through an interpreter, he explained to The Times that it was a result of both his joy and passion for Argentina.

“I love Argentina; I’ve lived there. I went to support them. Many of [the team] have come to the restaurant. I didn’t feel a stranger. It was a special moment. I can’t do anything about the reason I was there, but I would never, ever step on the World Cup pitch again,” said Salt Bae, aka Nusret Gökçe.

“There were two billion people watching the World Cup… How many people are speaking about me? Five billion. The whole world,” he added.

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After Argentina’s World Cup victory, players gathered with their families at Lusail Stadium as the internet celebrity and butcher made his way onto the pitch.

But Salt Bae received a lot of backlash online for “pestering” the man of the moment for a picture in which the Argentine seemed obviously uninterested.

Messi received a touch on the shoulder from the Turkish chef, who was sporting his signature sunglasses. The star athlete turned around for a split second, but seemed irritated and brushed him off.

Despite being warned, Salt Bae persisted in tormenting Messi. He was able to take a photo with him ultimately, and he shared it with his 52.3 million Instagram followers after that.

Along with other squad mates, the 39-year-old also posed with Alexis MacAllister, Paulo Dybala, Nicolas Otamendi, Angel di Maria, and Leandro Paredes.

After garnering unwanted attention during the World Cup 2022, Salt Bae was also disqualified from the US Open Cup.