Lionel Messi has reportedly came under a deluge of harsh, and perhaps unjustified, criticism for allegedly delivering poor performance after PSG’s narrow win over Real Madrid yesterday.
The Argentine striker missed a crucial penalty in the 60th minute of the game and was mercilessly taken to task for it by the French media, in particular L’Equippe who had given him a 3 out of 10 rating for his overall performance in the match.
Messi’s Argentina team-mate and compatriot, Sergio Aguero, has come out storming and enraged in defending the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, refuting the French press’ denunciation of Messi and claimed on the contrary that his Argentine compatriot had a good performance, omitting the penalty miss. As reported by ESPN, the striker said:
“Leo played well, he smashed it. Not just because he’s a friend, he was really good, really active. It’s a shame about the penalty, but after that he smashed it.”
L’Equipe had pronounced Messi the worst player on the field, according to the French outlet. While it is true that the missed penalty could have proved costly, Messi was still one of the best players on the field.
“In France, the magazines, the newspapers, they killed him. They are a**holes. I had an interview with a magazine in France, but I said no [because of the treatment of Messi],” Aguero added.
It’s no secret that the former Barcelona captain has not had a scintillating start to life in Paris but it is also irrefutable that he still has been a decisive factor and motivator for the club on multiple occasions, particularly in the earlier Champions League matches. Messi, unfortunately, has become a victim of his own greatness – not unlike his great arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who is also having a paltrid run this period in the Premier League – for he will always be judged by the ‘other-worldly’ standards he has set for himself all these years.
The 34-year-old had two shots on target, three blocked shots, four key passes and five successful dribbles against Real Madrid. In all – a pretty decent account of his overall performance.
Hopefully the feeling of being so harshly and unfairly criticised after such a high-level display will stoke the fires of righteous indignation within the Barcelona legend.
Looking ahead, let’s hope this latest episode will bring out the best version of Messi, reignited with fury.