Who is ‘Salt Bae’ and why was he allowed to touch the World Cup trophy?

Turkish chef Nusret Gokçe, known as ‘Salt bae’, caught the furore of the online world when he constantly went up to Argentine players minutes after the end of the World Cup final. In a moment where players were emotionally finding their family members and themselves, Gokce was seen looking for players and hounding them for pictures and videos.
The chef became famous as a meme when he poured salt onto steaks a certain way and has since then found extraordinary success. Some of his Instagram followers include David Beckham and Leonardo Di Caprio. His restaurant business has also been thriving with many locations across the world and arbitrarily extraordinary prices for food that are most likely a -product of the fame he has achieved.

After the Argentina-France match, Gokce was seen posting videos on his social media. They ranged from an uncomfortable-looking Angel di Maria sharing the World Cup trophy with him, to Chrian Romero looking on as Gokce snatched the trophy from his son. There was also a moment where the chef repeatedly tried to get the attention of Lionel Messi. Messi evaded him twice, much like he’s evaded players this World Cup, but finally gave in and took a picture with the 39-year-old, who promptly added it to his social media.

The FIFA World Cup trophy has some rules and regulations attached to who can touch or hold it and who cannot.
“As one of the most recognised sports symbols in the world and a priceless icon, the original FIFA World Cup Trophy can only be touched and held a very select group of people, which includes former winners of the FIFA World Cup and heads of state.”

In 2014, singer Rihanna had also famously courted controversy for touching the World Cup after Germany’s win over Argentina in extra-time.