So far, things have not looked very good for football legend Leo Messi at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) since his illustrious summer move from Barcelona.
Argentina forward found the net just 2 times in Ligue 1 across 16 games. His side and he incurred more disappointment when they crashed to a 3-1 loss at Nantes on Saturday.
November 2021, Leo Messi was awarded a record-breaking 7th Ballon d’Or. However, reports claimed that the little magician is unhappy in Paris, failing to settle in at the club and the city for a number of causes.
The French press was ruthless in criticizing Messi’s showing. French daily L’Equipe went ahead and ranked his performance a poor 4 out of 10.
Argentina’s teammate and close friend, Sergio Aguero has made sure to defend his colleague against the oncoming fire. He went on an angry rant about the way Messi was being treated by the French press.
Average Champions League showing from the little magician
PSG took on Real Madrid in the Champions League. Kylian Mbappe netted late on to snatch the win for his side in the first-leg on Tuesday evening. In that game, Messi witnessed his penalty pushed away to safety by Thibaut Courtois.
Lionel Messi currently is goal-less and has not assisted even once in 8 straight matches against the Spanish giants. This is something he will be eager to do away within the second leg.
On the brighter side, some aspects of Messi’s game received praise – as he engineered a number of goal-scoring chances for his side. But it was visible that this was not the Messi we know and love from his Barcelona days.
Several reports in France show one of Messi’s colleagues expressing derision for his defensive work in the tie against Madrid.
Messi gave away the ball and permitted the opposition to disrupt play while not tracking back. This led to Danilo Pereira taking out Vinicius Junior and adding his name to the referee’s book.
The Portuguese midfielder was seen unleashing a verbal onslaught at his teammate. This comes from his neglectfulness in allowing that play to develop.
Harsh words for Leo Messi from former PSG winger
Adding to it, ex-France international and PSG winger Jerome Rothen lashed out at Messi. Rothen went as far as terming him a “burden” to the club.
Rothen, speaking about the Argentine, said: “He is a burden for the club. His first months have not been good and the relationship between Lionel Messi and PSG has been far from a success. This transfer was a bad idea.“
“He is the best player, perhaps, of all generations that football has known. Still, I’m sick of hearing people say you can’t criticize Messi.“
“If you don’t win the match, you have a huge frustration because Messi misses the penalty (vs Real Madrid).“
“A player like Messi, with the status he has, it is tragic for him to miss a penalty, that’s the reality, even if it can happen to anyone.“
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