'He's deadwood for the club': Ex-PSG star blasts Messi for Real Madrid outing

"Messi is deadwood for the club. (...) His first months here are not good," former Paris Saint-Germain player Jerome Rothen has told RMC Sport.

"He is far from being a success. It was a false good idea to sign him. (...) He's the best player, perhaps, of all generations. Nevertheless, I'm tired of hearing people say we can't criticise Messi.

"If PSG hadn't won the match, they would've had an enormous frustration because Messi missed the penalty. For a player like Messi, with the status he has, it's tragic to miss a penalty, that's the reality, even if it can happen to anyone. If he misses it, then we can criticise him.

"What did he do for almost an hour against Real Madrid? We had an impression that he was a supportive midfielder, maybe even a holding midfielder. I don't care about Messi 50 metres from the opposition goal. We didn't take him to do that. That's why it's a burden for the team," Rothen also said.

How come are football experts in 2022 surprised with Messi's positioning during games? The Argentine has been gradually turning into an attacking midfielder for years already – he's not an attacker he once was with Barcelona.

For some reason, Messi's playmaking abilities are underrated and people still expect him to be an elite goalscorer.

Source: RMC Sport