Messi slammed after PSG ‘disasterclass’ as post-Barcelona blues continue
Robin Bairner
- 30 Apr 2022 09:51 BST
- 3 min read
Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi has been the subject of heavy criticism following his side’s 3-3 draw with Strasbourg on Friday.
PSG, who were crowned Ligue 1 champions last weekend, seemed to be cruising towards victory when a double from Kylian Mbappe and a strike from Achraf Hakimi had them firmly in control of the match.
In the closing stages, though, Marco Verratti deflected a header into his own goal before a volley from Anthony Caci in stoppage time squared the match.
Related articles
It was the second time in as many weeks that PSG had allowed a winning position to be squandered in the closing stages and cast questions over Messi’s performance in the match.
L’Equipe might have given the Argentine a 5/10 for his display, but Le Parisien were harsher, giving him just 3.5 – the lowest score they gave to any player. FootMercato, meanwhile, panned his performance as a ‘disasterclass’.
With just four league goals since leaving Barcelona last summer, it has been a difficult season for Messi to put it mildly.
What the PSG fans think of Messi
On Twitter, too, fans were critical of Messi’s display, although some defended him by pointing out that his team-mates were not giving him the ball in suitable situations.
“Lionel Messi is one of the best players in the history of football, if not the best. But to see him like this at the Meinau, it makes me truly sad,” one fan posted.
“I’ve no desire to knock Messi, but sh*t, he’s shown almost no desire this evening,” another supporter stated. “The World Cup is in seventh months. I don’t understand how he can be so little involved.”
And Messi’s lack of goals over the who season were inevitably a subject of centre.
“Hakimi, the right-back, has as many goals as Messi in the league this season,” one said.
Another stated: “The pro Messi who allows Mbappe to shine? Lol. Know that without him, your legend would have a season more catastrophic than it already has been.”
“When they continue to play individually when they have Messi in their team… They understand NOTHING,” one fan, who had Blaugrana in his handle, pointed out.
Finally, there are some who are optimistic that Messi might improve next season.
“Unpopular opinion: if Mbappe leaves, we’ll see a better Messi,” one optimist said.
