Fuming ex-PSG star urges Lionel Messi to quit club as he ‘disappears in big games’ and ‘doesn’t help in the slightest’
A FUMING former Paris Saint-Germain player has told Lionel Messi to quit the club.
And he launched a scathing, personal attack on the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner following the Champions League exit.
Messi, 35, struggled to make his mark in the must-win second leg away at Bayern Munich.
Goals from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Serge Gnabry sealed a 2-0 win for the Germans to send PSG crashing out.
And former winger Jerome Rothen went on a blistering rage against the World Cup winner – despite the team’s collective poor performance.
Rothen, who made 180 appearances between 2004 and 2009, said on RMC Sport: “Messi, we don’t want him.
“He doesn’t want to get involved in this club. He says he’s ‘acclimatised’ now, but what are you acclimatised to?
“You scored 18 goals or 16 assists this year against Angers and Clermont? But in the matches that matter, you disappear.
“The joke is that we saw his matches at the World Cup, I saw his movements, how he invested himself.
“I don’t mind it, considering it’s the national team jersey, a separate thing, but hey, respect the club in the capital a little, which allows you to maintain a status and salary.
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“Only PSG could give him that and, obviously, PSG fell at his feet because they thought Messi was going to make us win [the Champions League]. But he doesn’t win us anything.”
The monologue comes a month after another personal attack by Rothen on Messi, slamming him for not “investing in the project” and refusing to acknowledge the fans’ support.
Messi was handed a three in L’Equipe’s traditionally-harsh player ratings, the same as Kylian Mbappe and one more than Marco Veratti.
The French newspaper said of Messi’s performance: “It was too small and is very disappointing in a match of this importance. He was very disappointing.”
Messi’s night in Munich almost went from bad to worse as a pitch invader almost wiped him out after the full-time whistle.
Jamie Carragher now fears that was the Argentine great’s final Champions League appearance, with his contract expiring at the end of the season.
SunSport, though, understands talks are still ongoing regarding an extension.