Lionel Messi has been defended by Emmanuel Laurent Petit as Paris Saint Germain fans continue to boo the Argentine for their dismal season.
Lionel Messi is yet to sign a contract extension with his current club Paris Saint Germain. His previous contract expires this summer. Messi and his camp did have a verbal agreement to continue in Paris. But the Argentine had a change of heart after winning the World Cup last year.
Speculation about his future has prompted club followers to vent their rage, with home fans whistling him after the club’s loss at home against Lyon.
PSG fans 'insult football' whistling at Lionel Messi 😳 pic.twitter.com/swl2a03ZbU
— GOAL (@goal) April 4, 2023
This is not the first time the PSG fans have booed the 35-year-old World Cup winner. PSG ultras and fans booed the Argentine World Cup winner at their home stadium Parc des Princes after they were knocked out by Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 last year.
This season he again experienced that when they faced Stade Rennes before the international break. This came after another UEFA Champions League Round of 16 loss against Bayern Munich. The fans are upset with the Argentine superstar as he has failed to make an impact in the Champions League or any big games since arriving in 2021.
What did Emmanuel Petit say?
French World Cup winner and ex-Monaco player Emmanuel Laurent Petit has defended Messi. He has criticized the PSG fans for their behavior.
Speaking on the French podcast Rothen s’enflamme, he said, “Whsitling Messi is an insult to football, get out of the club. It’s a pre-retirement club, even if you’re 20. No player has ever progressed at PSG, and it’s not their fault.”
🗣️ 💬 "C'est une insulte au football !"
— Rothen s'enflamme (@Rothensenflamme) April 3, 2023
💢 L'ÉNORME prise de position d'Emmanuel Petit après les sifflets contre Lionel Messi au Parc des Princes. pic.twitter.com/UmhGYFBB8t
He also criticized the fans doubting Messi’s abilities, “I hear a lot of people saying that Messi walks. But all those who’ve followed him for a while, even for a while at Barca, he also walked. He’s the conductor of the orchestra, he leads it all and the players around him have to make the effort.”
He revealed PSG’S main problem was their recruiting, “PSG’s problem is not players like Messi and Neymar, but that they don’t know how to play with those players. Argentina won the World Cup surrounding Messi with warriors willing to die and give their blood for Leo. Or when I watch Barca, everyone was running around the master.”
Why is Lionel Messi likely to leave PSG?
The main reasons are the Champions League elimination at the hands of Bayern Munich, rumors of dressing room problems, and PSG facing possible UEFA sanctions for breaching their Financial Fair Play rules. The fact that the PSG fans are actively booing him for their club’s problems could also be a deciding factor.
Messi’s family wishes to go back to Barcelona, where they lived throughout the Argentine’s entire career before relocating to Paris in 2021. The player himself is now considering it after Barcelona contacted him. Due to Financial Fair Play issues, PSG requires Messi to accept a 25% salary cut on his extremely lucrative £25.6 million-a-year deal. Both Messi and his agent and father Jorge Messi have rejected this offer.
Messi is also said to want assurances on the manager and players sought by the club this summer. PSG is unable to comply with these requests.Messi is now close to a return with Barcelona. Barcelona vice president Rafa Yuste has already clarified that the club is working to bring the Argentine back to the Spotify Camp Nou for another stint.What do you think about the whistles aimed at Lionel Messi? Do you think Emmanuel Petit was right to call out the PSG fans? Let us know in the comments down below!
