Lionel Messi had been accorded preferential star treatment as the Argentine been given ultimate respect and enjoyed a “crazy” standing in the Paris Saint-Germain dressing room, says Ander Herrera.
In the blink of an eye the two-year spell at Parc des Princes has already come to a close for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, with the decision not to extend his contract for another term. Messi will be walking out as a free agent, with the suspense of a sensational return to Camp Nou dangling uncertainly.
Not having enjoyed his first year and the end quarter of his second campaign in the Parc des Princes club, the Argentine icon had to bear with unappreciative Parisian ultras turning against him, but Herrera says the South American legend’s team-mates and all of those behind the scenes at PSG consider it an honor to have worked with the all-time great.
Spain international midfielder Herrera had departed the French capital for Athletic Club in the summer of 2022, and told ESPN:
“I had a great time in Paris. It was fun. I got together a lot with Leo Paredes, with Angel Di Maria, with Leo Messi – also because our partners got along well and we got together a lot, we ate, we laughed. Neymar is also a super cheerful boy, a phenomenon, and Marco [Verratti] – there is not a person in the world who speaks ill of him as a footballer and as a guy. And the truth is that I had a great time. I got there from Manchester, where I had been with [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, with [Paul] Pogba, with [Wayne] Rooney, and suddenly finding yourself in a locker room like this from another place can be difficult. But it became normal. There is enormous respect for Leo. He has the respect of everyone because Leo is something else, he is unique in history, a guy who has seven Ballon d’Ors. The way he behaves, the respect with which he treats everybody at the club, crazy.”
Herrera waxed lyrical on the leadership qualities of the 2022 World Cup winner that he had spent one year playing alongside in Paris:
“Messi doesn’t need to make you feel it, there are people who lead by example, by the way they act and develop themselves. And Leo is one of those silent leaders, who doesn’t need to talk a lot to know what you have to give or why he is the important one on the team.”
Despite becoming a two-time Ligue 1 title winner, the Argentine captain had to endure jeers at the end of his tenure in the Parisian club, and Herrera attempted to explain why a demanding fan base turned hostile towards a player that many expected to be lauded instead as a hero.
Herrera said of the whistles: “In the end, the one who whistles is the one who pays his subscription and you have the right to do so. [But] It surprises me, I’ve been with him for a year and he’s the best I’ve seen in my life as a player and as a guy, because of the way he acts on a day-to-day basis. I admired him from before, and after playing with him I admire him even more. Of course it is surprising, but Paris is a special place to experience from within: the demands are very high, it feels like you are never doing enough. I think it is the only team in Europe in which a season where you don’t win the Champions League is considered a failure.”
Messi is currently in the process of weighing his options even as he severs his ties with PSG, with the 35-year-old being constantly linked with Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad, David Beckham’s MLS club as well as La Liga champions Barca.
There’s certainly no lack of options for the player many consider as the GOAT.