Big question marks after a catastrophic end. © ANSA / Kiko Huesca
After the disastrous end to Real Madrid, PSG’s star ensemble has to deal with heavy criticism. A club legend opted for an extremely sharp choice of words – and aimed at the crown jewel of the Paris cast.
March 13, 2022
From: never
In the end, nobody in Paris really knows what happened in Madrid on Wednesday evening. With a convincing first-leg win behind them and a 1-0 lead in the meantime, the French seemed set for a place in the quarter-finals. But a fatal miss by Gianluigi Donnarumma brought the Madrilenians back into play, and Karim Benzema finally became the hero of the evening with his hat-trick within minutes.
The fans were stunned by another embarrassing collapse in the premier class – and launched a verbal all-out attack. Led by club legend Jerome Rothen, a long-standing taboo was broken. Ironically, Lionel Messi became the target of hostilities against the team.
Lots of mistakes, no consequences
According to Rothen, Messi enjoys a status within the squad that the Argentinean doesn’t deserve. “His first few months were not good,” explained the 43-year-old. Although he is probably the best player of all time, given his missed penalty in the first leg, frustration prevails. “If it weren’t for him shooting them like that, with so little focus and determination, the guy would have been butchered.”
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Messi is accused of lack of determination. © APA / afp / JAVIER SORIANO
But not only the missed chance from the point should be denounced, but also the body language of the world star. The 34-year-old would never question himself after failed passes or dribbles, but always just looks at his shoes. “I’m ashamed to speak of him like that, but it’s the reality. He went for a walk in the field,” says Rothen.
In addition to Messi, the Frenchman’s anger was also directed at Neymar. Like his Argentinian teammate, he would only be paid for his status. “Since he’s been at PSG there’s been a mess! He made less than 50 percent of the games. And once he’s there, we’ll make excuses for him.” Ultimately, Rothen was carried away to a crashing conclusion: “Messi, stop it! Neymar, stop it!”
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