Lionel Messi and Paul Pogba indulged in the famous Salt Bae treatment as the pair visited the Turkish celebrity chef’s eatery while enjoying a break in Dubai – even getting the chance to copy the restauranteur’s famed technique.
Argentinian icon Messi and French midfield star Pogba are both sitting out international duty for their respective countries, and are taking the time to unwind in the Gulf emirate.
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That included a visit to the swanky Nusr-Et eatery owned by Salt Bae, real name Nusret Gökçe, where they were treated to a first-hand demonstration of the chef's unique preparation technique.
Footage on social media shows Messi and Salt Bae embracing before the chef appears to explain the options for the delicies he is about to prepare for his guests.
He carves the meat in his inimitable fashion, and then allows the man known as the GOAT to have a go at seasoning the meat strips in the distinctive style which involves making a swan shape with your arm while liberally sprinkling the salt.
Barcelona ace Messi obliges, although somewhat sheepishly, before being fed a strip of the meat by the culinary master.
Pogba was unsurprisingly more ostentatious in his efforts, which the Manchester United man shared on his Instagram account.
Pogba can first be seen following the beat closely as Salt Bae chops up the joint of meat in time with the music, before sprinkling the salt onto it himself as the chef looks on approvingly.
Salt Bae later proudly shared a snap of himself standing between his two famous patrons to his 17 million followers on Instagram.
Messi and Pogba were also seen deep in discussion during the evening, with the Frenchman showing off his language skills by conversing with the Barca star in fluent Spanish.
Rubbing shoulders with footballers is nothing new to Salt Bae, who has become an internet sensation for his flamboyant preparation style.
After the Champions League final in May, he was filmed with Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos, who ‘salted’ the trophy together with Salt Bae in his illustrious manner.
Some took it as Ramos merely rubbing salt into the wounds of a defeated Liverpool team who had lost star forward Mohamed Salah to injury after a tussle with the Real Madrid captain.
However, Salt Bae also posted a picture with the injured Salah, wishing him all the best after his injury.
READ MORE: Sergio Ramos rubs salt into Liverpool’s and Salah’s wounds with cheeky ‘Salt Bae’ snap
One patron who faced a salty response to dining at one of the Turkish chef's establishments was Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro back in September.
The South American leader enjoyed a visit to the chef's restaurant in Istanbul, but was criticized for extravagantly dining out amid an economic crisis in his homeland.
READ MORE: Marco Rubio incites online mob against ‘Salt Bae’ chef who dined with Venezuelan leader