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nobody followed the script

This edited Simpsons meme humorously references Lionel Messi's historic performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The scene is set in a Springfield public park, where three adult male Simpsons characters seated at separate chess tables are labeled 'Golden Boot', 'Golden Ball', and 'World Cup' respectively, representing the three most prestigious honors awarded at the World Cup. Bart Simpson is labeled '*Messi' and is depicted standing at the third table, defeating the 'World Cup' character at chess, which references Messi winning all three major awards (the Golden Boot for highest goal scorer, Golden Ball for best overall player, and the World Cup trophy itself) during the 2022 tournament. The meme's title 'nobody followed the script' refers to how Messi defied widespread pre-tournament expectations to win every available top honor at the World Cup.
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Dialogue

Messi at the World Cup
Golden Boot
Golden Ball
World Cup
*Messi

Overview

This edited Simpsons meme humorously references Lionel Messi's historic performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The scene is set in a Springfield public park, where three adult male Simpsons characters seated at separate chess tables are labeled 'Golden Boot', 'Golden Ball', and 'World Cup' respectively, representing the three most prestigious honors awarded at the World Cup. Bart Simpson is labeled '*Messi' and is depicted standing at the third table, defeating the 'World Cup' character at chess, which references Messi winning all three major awards (the Golden Boot for highest goal scorer, Golden Ball for best overall player, and the World Cup trophy itself) during the 2022 tournament. The meme's title 'nobody followed the script' refers to how Messi defied widespread pre-tournament expectations to win every available top honor at the World Cup.

Origin notes

This is a remixed meme created by editing a pre-existing scene from the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It was originally posted on the Reddit r/Meme subreddit (sourced via RSS) shortly after the conclusion of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to celebrate Messi's historic championship win and his sweep of the tournament's top individual awards.

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