Salt Bae has finally discussed his antics during Argentina's post-match celebrations at the 2022 World Cup Final that saw him cause mass outrage among football fans.
Real name Nusret Gokce, the celebrity chef was seen on FIFA's world feed - shown via channels such as BBC and ITV - doing what was described as gatecrashing the successful Argentines' party with the prestigious trophy, literally taking it out of the players' hands and stopping for photographs with them. At one stage he even posed with goalkeeper Franco Armani's gold medal between his teeth.
This also included the likes of Liverpool's new £35-million signing Alexis Mac Allister and his idol, Lionel Messi, with the latter unbelievably unable to shake the persistent Gokce from his hip as he attempted to share the once-in-a-lifetime achievement with his loved ones.
However, speaking to The Times, the man who came under fire on all social media platforms has disputed why he received the backlash he did for the first time.
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"I didn't go on the pitch with the purpose of advertising. I just like felt like it. Then it was a bit of a surprise," he said. "There were at least another 1,000 people on the pitch but when they show the video they make out it was just me.
"I never, ever wanted to overshadow anything. I didn’t like the attention. I didn’t kick anyone, steal anything … there were two billion people watching the World Cup … how many people are speaking about me? Five billion. The whole world."
According to the Turkish personality, he was in attendance as a fan of Argentina. That didn't stop an official FIFA investigation taking place against him, as he was first allowed unauthorised access to the field of play and then had his hands on the trophy, which is a right reserved only for winners and heads of state.
Salt Bae made one final proclamation in his interview about his actions, stating: "It was a special moment. I can’t do anything about the reason I was there, but I would never, ever step on the World Cup pitch again."
