Despite being arguably the best in the business for almost two decades, public scrutiny has never left Lionel Messi‘s side. No matter if he wins, loses, or what he does on the pitch, all the eyes seem to be pointed at him. And those eyes have now discovered something more to criticize Messi for, and that’s his double chin.
In a recently surfaced picture from Argentina‘s Copa America game against Ecuador, Messi was spotted having a double chin. The still taken from a moment of Messi’s close-up shot shows a hint of fat under Messi’s chin.
The picture soon went viral and fans made themselves clear about this version of Messi. Here are some of the comments from the thread posted on Twitter:
The fans were quick to blame his move to the USA for this double chin. Many indicated that the American fast foods were behind this double chin appearance. Messi made his record-breaking move to the MLS in July 2023 to join Inter Miami. Since moving to Miami, Messi has been often seen enjoying an American lifestyle, mainly embracing the burgers. He even had his burger line with Hard Rock Cafe following the move to Miami.
The common American diet revolves around burgers, French fries, pizzas, all sorts of red meat and desserts. The consumption of high-calorie cuisines can easily lead to the growth of fat and many have predicted that has been the case for Messi.
The fact behind it was backed by Messi himself when he recently joined ‘Dispuestos a Todo’ to discuss his guilty pleasure.
‘I don’t eat in secret, but in the evening, when Antonella and the children are asleep and I watch TV or play a game until late, I go downstairs to get something sweet to eat. I really like it, chocolate, an alfajor (a South American pastry) or whatever I can find at the time,’ Messi revealed.
One of his coaches at La Masia also exposed Messi for his extreme love of pizza and said, ‘Messi eaten more pizza than he should have done,’ in an interview.
But blaming American cuisine for Messi’s double chin is a result of scratching the surface only. Diving deeper into the chin business reveals that the 8-time Ballon d’Or winner always had this particular chin design.
To put his double chin into perspective, another picture of Messi was posted alongside it from 2016 Copa America when he sported a beard. Many have pointed out the beard did a wonderful job keeping the chin line out of sight.
Many have shown evidence of Messi having a double chin since way back in 2012, when he used to chug ice creams before a game. Here’s some evidence that should permanently put the USA-caused chin theories to rest:
Though his chin line never obstructed Messi from being at his otherworldly best. During the 2012 calendar year, Messi scored a total of 91 goals breaking the previous record held by Gerd Muller(85). What is more impressive is that Messi did it with only 69 games, so that’s 1.3 goals per game despite being notorious for being a fizzy drink lover.
This led to Pep Guardiola ordering Barcelona management to remove the vending machine away from the training facility and dressing room area. His junk-heavy diet even led to him vomiting on the pitch during games back in 2018.
‘I ate badly for many years: chocolates, fizzy drinks, and everything. That is what made me throw up during games. Now I look after myself better. I eat fish, meat, salads. Everything is organised and taken care of,’ Messi told La Cornisa TV.
Gaining weight through poor diet habits is a long-standing problem for athletes, mainly during off-seasons. The risk of injury increases with increased body weight and, on top of that, gaining an extra few pounds disrupts the anatomical balance an athlete’s body is used to after lifelong practices. So after he reconsidered his diet plans, Messi avoided falling into that pit and is still operating at a top level at 36.
Messi’s performance never changed, even with his double chin. Messi has 12 goals and 9 assists from 12 starts in MLS this season before joining the national team on Copa America duty. He is already the top scorer in Inter Miami’s history with 25 goals from only 29 matches. So as long as he performs, a burger here and there shouldn’t be a problem.
