Before Gonzalo Montiel fired home the winning penalty in the World Cup final against France, Lionel Messi was seen talking to himself in what seemed like a simple prayer
We have asked two Spanish speakers — one from Spain and one from Argentina — what they think Leo said in that moment. Both agreed on this phrase: “concha de tu madre, vamos Gonzalo hacelo”
“Concha de tu madre” literally means “your mother’s c*nt” but a more fitting translation into English would be “fucking hell” or “oh bloody fuck” or even “ffs”.
“Vamos Gonzalo hacelo” means “come on Gonzalo do it”, Gonzalo being Gonzalo Montiel, Argentina’s penalty kick taker.
Two more versions are going round the Internet. Some believe Messi said “anulo mufa” in the first part which is something like “I cancel the jinx”. It’s a phrase Argentina fans have used a lot throughout this tournament, it’s sort of like trying to push the bad thoughts away by crossing your fingers. Yet, our sources as well as a few commentators on Reddit refuse to believe it’s what Messi said.
Some also believe that Leo said “vamos Diego desde el cielo” in the second part which translates as “come on Diego from the sky”, a reference to Diego Maradona. However, our sources deny that because Messi clearly says Gonzalo, not Diego. In addition, many social media users deny this theory.