Fabregas slams Messi haters after Madrid humiliation
Martin Macdonald
- 28 Mar 2022 10:55 BST
- 3 min read
Cesc Fabregas has again criticised the Paris Saint-Germain fans for their treatment of Lionel Messi, saying the club has never had a player of his quality before.
A few weeks ago, PSG crashed out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage in a tie with Real Madrid.
Despite winning the first leg and then scoring at Santiago Bernabeu, they were outdone by an outstanding hat-trick from Karim Benzema.
TRENDING
In their next match in Ligue 1 in front of their own supporters, most of the team were booed, with Messi and Neymar receiving the harshest treatment from the stands.
PSG are yet to win their holy grail pursuit of the Champions League despite the billions that have been pumped into the glub since their Qatar-backed takeover.
Messi joined in the summer as probably their biggest acquisition so far, even if it was for free, but the Argentine has been unable to reach the heights of his performances for Barcelona.
Many former team-mates have speculated that Messi is unhappy at PSG and should return to Barcelona as soon as possible, including current star Dani Alves.
Fabregas, who was with Messi at La Masia and then years later with the senior side at Camp Nou, has backed the likes of the Ballon d'Or winner and Neymar to come good in Paris.
What did Fabregas say?
“I have been whistled at the Camp Nou," he told Marca.
“I know what happened with PSG. The fans want to create a moment of tension with the players.
“During the match they support you, when they sing your name, perfect, but what I saw the other day, jeering when Neymar lost the ball or whistling when they touched the ball, is very ugly.
“They justify that they get paid a lot, they lost against Real Madrid, that's fine, but didn't they want to win? That's what comes first.
“With PSG they haven't won anything yet, for the moment, but they will surely win the league.
“You're talking about a player [Messi] who has just arrived. PSG have never had a player like this in their lives.
“It's better to be grateful, to support him and not crush him. This year or next, these guys will bring you great moments.”
