Messi's World Cup win was 'premeditated': Van Gaal lashes out at Argentinian star

Louis van Gaal was one of the biggest coaches in modern-day football, but his last appearance on the international stage with the Dutch team ended in disappointment.

At the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the Netherlands were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Lionel Messi and Argentina. A loss that apparently left a big mark.

Van Gaal was honoured for his achievements for Dutch football at the Eredivisie Awards, and spoke about the painful World Cup loss.

In short, he thinks the Qatar World Cup was rigged and Messi had to be world champion.

"I don't really want to say much about it", he told Dutch public broadcaster NOS. "When you see how Argentina gets the goals and how we get the goals, and how some Argentina players overstepped the mark and were not punished, then I think it was a premeditated game."

"I mean everything I say. That Messi should become world champion? I think so, yes", he added.

Van Gaal's words did not go unnoticed in Argentina.

"Louis van Gaal has once again attacked Messi and Argentina's national team," newspaper Clarín headlined.

This latest incident took place months after the epic World Cup encounter between Argentina and the Netherlands.

In a hard-fought match that was tense even before the first ball was kicked, the Dutch came back from a 2-0 deficit in spectacular fashion to take the game to penalties.

In the penalty shoot-out, it was Argentina that took the victory and later went on to become World Champion under the guidance of star player Messi. A historic moment that Van Gaal and the Dutch are still struggling with, it seems.