This week, Lionel Messi was the subject of harsh criticism from some French football pundits over his performance against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
Messi failed to convert a penalty kick chance, resulting in the 34-year-old being on the receiving end of criticism. Nonetheless, Argentines are sticking up for the forward, including Christian Martin, a correspondent in Europe for ESPN Argentina.
In an interview with RMC Sport, Martin spoke about the “lack of professionalism” and a “wild way of criticizing Messi” from French football pundits following the 1-0 win over Real Madrid.
“It is perceived without objectivity with bad intentions in relation to the analysis of the match, he insists. They lack knowledge or have bad intentions. We have had this perception for a few months. At the beginning, it was the beginning of the relationship; we had love and passion when Leo arrived in Paris,” Martin said.
“But we expected that it would change in the winter. The French league is tough; it’s not as easy as people thought. But we were surprised and disappointed by the lack of professionalism. If there is bad intentions or a lack of knowledge, it is a lack of professionalism.”
Kylian Mbappé generated the foul in the box, and it was Messi stepped up to take the shot to potentially score the match’s first goal. Thibaut Courtois would stop Messi, which has been the spotlight of criticism from many.
It will be interesting to see if Messi decides to take a screenshot and bank this criticism from the French media and put on a performance at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on March 9th, a place he’s had his share of moments.
