Herzog likens himself to Messi, drawing mockery

Opposition leader Isaac Herzog, who is being investigated for suspected campaign funding irregularities, on Thursday compared himself to soccer player Lionel Messi, earning mockery on social media.

Herzog is suspected of having improperly financed a campaign for the Labor Party’s leadership in 2013.

Taking to Facebook to bemoan his situation, he posted a picture of Messi, shattered, post-defeat as his team, Barcelona, was dumped out of the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday.

“These are difficult days for me. For both of us. We’ll get through it,” Herzog wrote.

The opposition leader, who faced calls to resign this week, was subsequently ridiculed online.

One user photoshopped Messi’s profile to show an image of Herzog, with the words “I love you Bro.”

Another went as far as to create a chart comparing Herzog and Messi. Messi is a center-forward, while Herzog plays to the center, the chart by Amir Moyal says. Messi is the international face of Gillette while Herzog “still doesn’t shave,” it adds, poking fun at the opposition leader’s baby-faced appearance.

“Don’t worry, primaries are coming,” wrote Channel 2 humor reporter Racheli Rottner.

“Research the decision to publish this post. Those who told you it was a good idea, who nodded, who thought it was funny — in other words, everyone who was too embarrassed to tell you ‘no’ — fire them,” urged comedian Yoav Rabinovitz.

Other Facebook users responses ranged from “Are you for real?” to “embarrassing” to multiple suggestions that Herzog fire his PR advisers and social media manager.

Herzog did not appear to be deterred by the less-than-warm reception, and the post was still online as of the publication of this piece.

A tax fraud case against Messi was set to go to trial in late May.

AP contributed to this report.