Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but it does not always guarantee success. That's the lesson Mauro Icardi and Kerem Akturkoglu likely learned on Tuesday when the two tried but failed to replicate a famous move pulled off by Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Back in 2016 when the two played for FC Barcelona, Messi stepped up to take a penalty against Celta Vigo and instead of taking the strike himself, he briefly dribbled the ball before passing it over to Suarez, who was the surprising goalscorer.
Seven years later, Galatasaray's Akturkoglu and Icardi tried the replicate the move. The former stood on the ball before the referee blew the whistle and like Messi, quickly sent the ball Icardi's way. Icardi dashed into the penalty area but just as swiftly sent the ball wide of the net and threw his head into his hands. Take a look:
Skip to 1:37 for a hilarious Mauro Icardi miss 💀
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 26, 2023
(via @ESbeINSPORTS)pic.twitter.com/DS1g3Pd3DT
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The miss did not prove to be too costly for Galatasary, though. The team still picked up a 1-0 win over Istanbulspor, and Icardi was able to rebound from the mistake by scoring a few minutes later. But it's a miss he likely won't forget, but at least he got the shot off. The same cannot be said for Arsenal legend Robert Pires, who tried to pull off something similar with Thierry Henry but did not execute the simple pass in a memorable blunder.