Que miras bobo? The Messi phrase and Its meaning in english

Qué mirás bobo? Andá Pa'llá. The phrase that echoed through the entire Football World Cup 2022 in Qatar. Said by the captain of the Argentinean team, Lionel Messi, to Wout Weghorst, as a very dramatic match reached its end, with Argentina as the glorious victor of the quarterfinals.

The phrase became iconic to all Messi and Argentina fans. The internet and the markets soon flooded with memes and merchandise. Messi even trademarked the phrase. But, what did it really mean? For Argentinean speakers, this is not a question, but for the rest of the world, we need to explain it a little.

How it happened?

The Qatar World Cup has recently launched the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Official Film. In it, we can see a clip that finally reveals the behind-the-scenes of the interview that triggered this conversation and phrase.

In the clip below you will see Weghorst approaching Kun Aguero, Lautaro Martinez, among other Argentinean players, and the sneaky appearance of Wout as Messi was being interviewed, who couldn't stop himself from his provocative attitude towards the winning team shouting "Eh, Messi, Eh, Messi"

Here is when Messi responded "Qué mirás bobo? Andá Pa'llá".

Messi's Anger Before the Match Against the Netherlands

Lionel Messi's heated moment with the Netherlands was fueled by pre-match tensions. Dutch coach Louis van Gaal made comments that Messi found disrespectful, suggesting Argentina was too dependent on him. Messi felt these remarks disrespected Argentina’s football legacy.

Additionally, Messi clashed with Wout Weghorst (the number 19), who provoked Argentine players during the match. After Weghorst scored twice, tensions escalated, leading to Messi’s famous "Qué mirás, bobo" outburst. Messi also mimicked Juan Román Riquelme’s “Topo Gigio” gesture to Van Gaal, highlighting their long-standing rivalry.

Que miras bobo, meaning in English

Bobo means something similar to "Silly", so the first part of the phrase reads "What are you looking at silly?".

"Andá Pa'llá" comes with more social context, as Messi comes from the province of Santa Fe, where it is often seen that people would shorten and combine words. The meaning in Spanish would be "Andá para allá", which translates to "Go over there", or better, "Go away".

The full translation then is "What are you looking at silly? Go away".

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