Former PSG player, Jerome Rothen, continued to criticize Messi when saying that the Argentine superstar “does not consider himself a PSG player”.
Rothen told RMC Sport: “Leo represents football and all that I love. He made his mark in history, perhaps the greatest of all generations. But we are disappointed with Messi’s contribution in two seasons with PSG.
Messi was criticized for not giving his all for PSG.
“I just want to defend the club in interviews to show that Messi is happy and finds the best feeling in Paris. But, we always see only the negɑtive.”
“ As soon as he has a few days off, Leo will return to Barcelona. He was never used to Paris, to what PSG stands for. We are a young club, but we have history and also need to be respected. You have to put yourself in the shoes of a Parisian, he has never done that,” emphasized the 45-year-old former player.
Messi gets booed despite scoring 19 goals and 14 assists for PSG this season
PSG recruited Messi with the ambition of winning the Champions League. However, the Paris capital club for 2 consecutive seasons soon stopped the game.
In the round of 16 this season, PSG was defeated by Bayern Munich after two matches with a total score of 0-3. For the 5th time in the last 7 seasons, “The French rich guy” could not continue in the round of 16 of Europe’s most prestigious club tournament, more than any other team.
In the second leg against Bayern on March 9, Messi could not create a mutation in front of the opponent’s defense. The 35-year-old striker was blocked by Alphonso Davies, Leon Goretzka and Matthijs de Ligt, unable to help PSG come back from the 0-1 loss in the first leg.
Owning Messi, but PSG still failed bitterly in the Champions League
Currently, Leo’s future is unpredictable. ESPN says that the probability of Messi facing Cristiano Ronaldo in the Middle East is currently 50%. The contract between Messi and PSG will expire in June 2023. ESPN also reveɑled that the two sides are unlikely to continue to renew.
At this time, many teams like Barca, Inter Miami also want to recruit Messi. However, the level of treatment that Al Hilal, a giant in the Saudi national championship, offers to the Argentine superstar is much higher. This could be the key point for Messi to move to Saudi Arabia.
Messi is being interested by many teams
Messi stands before the opportunity to become the highest-paid player in history, at more than 400 million euros per year. The current record belongs to Cristiano Ronaldo with 200 million euros per year at Al Nassr.
Saudi Arabia is racing to become the host of the 2026 World Cup. Therefore, they do not spare money to recruit cult stars of world football to build an image.