Over the past months, Lionel Messi has attracted mixed reactions regarding his ongoing run at Paris Saint-Germain. While some see that the best is still yet to come for Messi at PSG, others view the signing as already being a failure.
Former French international Michel Platini has watched Messi’s run so far at PSG. When asked during RMC Sport‘s “Rothen s’enflamme” program whether the forward made a “mistake” by joining the Ligue 1 powerhouse, the three-time Ballon d’Or winner noted that the Argentine’s best days as a footballer are far behind him.
“First of all, he does what he wants, it is he who decides his life,” Platini said. “Now it’s true that he is the child of Barcelona as Ronaldo was the child of Madrid. They decided to leave. I can put myself in their shoes. When I left Juve, I stopped. I was 32 years old. Barcelona and OM wanted me.
“It’s complicated for a player like Leo, when you arrive at 34, you know that you are worth a heritage, you are worth a lot. But will you play as well as you did in the past? … Lionel chose to have a new challenge. It’s good for French football that he came to play in France. But he will never play as well as he did five to six years ago.”
Messi sure has had his fair share of up-and-down performances at PSG, from recording three assists in the side’s Ligue 1 fixture against AS Saint-Etienne in the first half of the season to failing to notch a goal contribution in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie against Real Madrid.
Messi and PSG will return to action with the Ligue 1 home fixture against Lorient on April 3.
