Salt Bae has been slammed for his “pathetic” pestering of Lionel Messi to get a selfie and touching the World Cup after Argentina’s win.
The celebrity chef, whose real name is Nusret Gökçe, somehow got himself in among the winning team and managed to get selfie with Lionel Messi as he celebrated his team’s triumph, The Sun reports.
But in the run up, he was seen badgering the superstar and repeatedly grabbing his arm until the player relented and posed for a picture.
The chef was slammed on Twitter as “pathetic” for his attention seeking antics, which were also described as the “cringiest thing ever”.
“The man’s just won the World Cup literally minutes prior and this ‘celebrity’ is feeling he’s entitled to get his attention,” said one Twitter user.
The fury continued after he posted pics on Instagram of him holding the 18-carat gold trophy, worth $30 million, a privilege reserved for the winning team and heads of state.
“You shouldn’t touch the Cup. You’re not a champion,” was one comment.
Another furious Instagram user said he was “unfollowing” the Turkish chef.
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“You shouldn’t have touched that trophy only the players and staff who worked their arses off to become champions have that right.
“You only want attention.
Continuing the theme one post read “this is the time for players who have worked hard and not for celebrities to hang around and take selfies for their own promo”.
Salt Bae isn’t the only celebrity to have fallen foul of Fifa etiquette.
Rihanna was pictured holding the prize back in 2014 and later revealed she had kissed and posed for a selfie with the famous trophy.
Salt Bae sparked fury before the World Cup after bragging about a $253,000 bill at his high-end restaurant.
A single steak from the evening was over $1,800, and the group spent almost $208,000 on wine alone.
The backlash came amid the worst cost-of-living crisis seen in decades, as inflation soars and millions struggle to pay for food and rent.
Salt Bae shot to fame in 2017 when a video of him lovingly preparing a steak by theatrically sprinkling a handful of salt crystals, quickly went viral.
Nusret quickly became a celebrity in his own right, cooking for celebrities like David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio, and DJ Khaled.
He opened his first Nusr-Et steakhouse in Istanbul in 2010.
The brand grew, and he opened restaurants across the Middle East, including in Ankara, Doha and Dubai.
In 2021, he opened the first London Branch of the chain in the posh area of Knightsbridge.
– This article originally appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission.
