The 2014 World Cup draw that grouped Iran with heavyweights Argentina has provoked thousands of Iranians to trash the Facebook page of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi.


Iran was drawn in Group F alongside Argentina, reigning African champions Nigeria and newcomers Bosnia-Herzegovina, and will open their fourth campaign in the final stages of the World Cup on June 16.


The reaction in Iran was mixed, with some football-mad Iranians embracing the first-ever chance to play Argentina, and some even expressing ambitious hopes of beating the star-studded former World Cup champions.


But it was a different story online and particularly on Facebook, which many are able to access despite it being blocked in Iran under a systematic filtering of the Internet mechanism.


Several thousand derogatory remarks were left on Messi’s Facebook page, many in Persian, trashing the 26-year-old superstar, winner of four FIFA Ballons d’Or — the world player of the year.


Some made fun of the fact that Messi means “of copper” in Persian.


“Messi, you are made of copper. Even if you were out of gold, you could not do a damn thing” against Iran, said one commentator.


The remarks sparked a strong reaction by others who expressed support for the Barcelona man, and even apologised for the actions of their compatriots.


“As an Iranian, I want to apologise to you. Iranian people are not like that at all,” said Ali in a post in English.


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