Lionel Messi’s time in Major League Soccer has already spawned some incredible moments. From his first-ever MLS goal to his pair of tallies in his second game, Messi is making the most of his time stateside.
And now, add a devilish Darth Vader-like celebration to the mix and you’ve got an instant meme!
On Tuesday, during Messi’s big two-goal match against Atlanta United, the 36-year-old broke out an absolutely stone cold celebration. With a blank expression, Messi raised his hand in the style of Darth Vader’s iconic force choke before giving the fans a smirk to cap off the celebration.
احتفالية الأسطورة ميسي 🥶🦩 pic.twitter.com/Xl3bp2o1un
— Messi Xtra (@M30Xtra) July 26, 2023
That’s a pretty cool celebration, if you ask me. People instantly started to notice the similarities between Messi’s celebration and iconic Sith lords from Star Wars.
Miami Messi in his villain era 😅 pic.twitter.com/fArikC6Qa9
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 26, 2023
And after that, the rest was history. Here’s how soccer fans reacted to Messi’s Darth Vader-like celebration that turned into an instant meme.
@starwars @EAStarWars someone edit this picture and make Messi into a sith or something #messi #starwars pic.twitter.com/5e1LZNPsTU
— bottlelona (@lucianosrebalo) July 26, 2023
Messi with the Darth Vader celebration is the best thing that happened to Star Wars in a decade.
— Rafael Hernández (@RafaelH117) July 26, 2023
LIONEL MESSI INVOCANDO A DARTH VADER.
CÁLMATE GOAT..pic.twitter.com/BNq7uP6HIN— AnaDeportes (@Ana_deportes) July 26, 2023
Messi doing dearth Vader force choke i love it #Messi https://t.co/aLa0jZU5xs
— Lil Juju (@jujurodz10) July 26, 2023
Messi Vader? https://t.co/ayAStnAyEf
— PH Nascimento (@PeagaNascimento) July 26, 2023
Is Messi using the force to choke somebody? lol https://t.co/CJNtju9BtI
— S_Dot (@SeanJ_3) July 26, 2023
Messi the force be with you…#Messi pic.twitter.com/PIWcwS9AuK
— ᴘᴀᴛᴏ ɢɪᴏʀᴅᴀɴᴏ (@Karpatos) July 26, 2023
Messi’s definitely going for 40+ goals this upcoming season. https://t.co/rqobyZS4Qv
— Yami San Kev (@YamiSanKev) July 26, 2023
Just find the high ground. https://t.co/qoReYvnzuO
— Taylor Karrh (@TaylorKarrh) July 26, 2023
