It’s been over two weeks since the supporters at the Parc des Princes were booing the Paris Saint-Germain players, which included Lionel Messi. The only player that wasn’t on the receiving end of jeers from fans was Kylian Mbappé.
For some, it’s hard to fathom Messi being booed, so there are many journalists, pundits, and former players speaking out. Speaking into the microphone of Cadena Cope, former France international player Lilian Thuram stated that the booing of Messi surprised him.
“I believe it’s in my opinion, but I’m not sure that Barcelona is the home of Messi. Understand me. He played with the youngsters; he played for Barça for a long time,” Thuram said.
“For me, he wanted to stay here in Barcelona. It is very difficult to want to stay but to have to leave. It’s very difficult. I think when you change teams, it’s also difficult.”
Thuram went on to say that it’s unbelievable to see Messi go from FC Barcelona, where everyone is with him, to Paris, where they’ll boo him following the UEFA Champions League elimination.
“When you play at Barça, and you are Lionel Messi, everyone is with you. In Paris, it’s different. When you see that PSG lose against Madrid and the match after people whistle Messi, it’s unbelievable,” Thuram added.
“I believe this should not happen. People shouldn’t disrespect Lionel Messi because… pfff… Messi… No, we can’t do that. When you love football, you can’t accept that people whistle Messi because it’s not normal.”
🔵🔴Lilian Thuram:
🎤”Dembélé es un gran jugador y debe jugar en un gran equipo. El Barça lo es. Al final pensará en ello”
🎥”Para Messi Barcelona es su casa. En París es diferente. Cuando tú ves que pitan a Messi… es increíble, no es normal”
📻@deportescope#fcblive pic.twitter.com/D2Y9rIPFRt
— Víctor Navarro (@victor_nahe) March 24, 2022