Jerome Rothen, a former Paris Saint-Germain player, blamed Lionel Messi for PSG’s UEFA Champions League exit. Rothen criticized Messi by bringing up the fact that he has decent goal contributions, however, none of those are in big games.
According to the French outlet Abola, Rothen said, “We [PSG] don’t want him, he has to leave PSG. He doesn’t want to invest in the club. I read some of his statements in which he said ‘I’m well acclimated’… but, acclimated to what, my dear? Scoring 18 goals and providing 16 assists against Angers and Clermont? In important games, he disappears completely.”
Jerome Rothen on Leo Messi: “We don’t want him. He’s not invested in the club. 18G/16A is all well and good against Angers and Clermont, but he disappears in big games. It’s a joke. We’ve seen what he can do [in the World Cup]. He just doesn’t help PSG in the slightest.” 😳🔥 pic.twitter.com/C0cX3k3b5C
— GiveMeSport (@GiveMeSport) March 10, 2023
According to Rothen, Messi does not invest himself in PSG’s project the way he invested himself in his nation at the FIFA World Cup 2022.
′′It’s a joke because we saw his games at the World Cup, we all saw the way he committed. The nation’s shirt is a separate thing, but you have to respect the club that allows you to maintain a statute and a salary. Only PSG could give him that. Now, PSG has come down to earth because they thought Messi was going to help us win [the Champions League] and, after all, he doesn’t help us win anything at all.”
PSG bid goodbye to their dreams of winning the Champions League again this season after they were ousted by Bayern Munich. They were defeated 2-0 at the Allianz Arena and 0-1 at the Parc des Princes. Former PSG player Kingsley Coman scored in the first leg. Eric Maxim Chuopo Moting, another former PSG player, scored in the second leg along with Serge Gnabry.
Jerome Rothen does not want Lionel Messi to renew his contract at PSG
Rothen has been criticizing Messi since before his poor performances against Bayern Munich. The former French player believes Messi shouldn’t be given a new contract at the French club.
Speaking to RMC Sport, Rothen said: “Messi’s renewal is a joke. Managing Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe is complicated. On top of that, his salary is very high.
I see PSG trapped in financial fair play because what they have to pay in wages has exploded. Now they will have the opportunity to recover a huge sum with Messi’s salary, this could allow them to hire and improve the squad. For all that, it’s a bad idea to renew with Messi.”
Rothen continued: “In terms of image and what it reflects, I can’t understand why Messi wants to extend the adventure here. He makes no effort to put the club ahead of him. He never thanks the fans, he lowers his head and goes to the dressing room. Even when he celebrates goals and his name is chanted, he never has a gesture for the fans to thank them for their support.”
An anonymous source told The Athletic that a deal for Messi to make his way to Inter Miami ‘was all but done’ and that he would be ‘promised a small ownership stake in the MLS club’. pic.twitter.com/b7KN2Qnat2
— InsideTransferz by Gio Zanetti (@InTrasferimenti) March 10, 2023
Messi’s current contract at PSG expired in the summer of 2023. There are rumors circulating about him moving to the USA to play for Inter Miami FC. However, a return to FC Barcelona is also on the cards.
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