‘Messi is suffering in a team of mercenaries’
Carlo Garganese
- Updated: 23 Feb 2022 19:50 GMT
- 3 min read
The man who scouted Lionel Messi for Barcelona has blasted his current club as a “team of mercenaries”.
Carles Rexach is a former Barcelona player, coach and scout, who was the man most responsible for bringing Messi to the club as a kid.
Lionel Messi at PSG: Goals, assists, results & fixtures in 2021-22
Messi completed a shock Bosman Transfer to PSG this summer after he was unable for legal and financial reasons to sign a new contract with Barcelona.
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The Argentine superstar broke virtually every record possible during the 21 years he spent at Barca, including scoring an incredible 672 goals in 778 games.
However, Messi has struggled badly so far to replicate these kind of figures at the Parc des Princes.
He has scored just two Ligue 1 goals this season, although he does have five strikes in six games in the Champions League.
What did Rexach say?
"Messi is suffering at PSG, it's a team of mercenaries," Rexach told Super Radio Deportivo.
"They don't play beautiful or spectacular football or even as a team, they win because one day up pops Neymar, the next it's Messi, then [Kylian] Mbappe, and they get it done, but they don't have an identity as a team.
"Messi is obliged to return to Barcelona in whatever role he wants. I'd love him to stay and live in Barcelona. His footballing life has to end here."
Rexach added that he believes the full truth about the reasons for Messi’s exit from Barcelona have not been revealed.
"We still don't know the truth about Messi's exit and I'm sure it will come out in time," Rexach added
"I would have liked him to retire at Barcelona. I'd have liked him to retire playing seriously, properly.
"Messi should win the World Cup and retire. He deserves it."
