Whenever Lionel Messi touched the ball during Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-0 win over AC Ajaccio on Saturday night at the Parc des Princes, the Argentine heard whistles and applause.
Messi had been initially suspended for two weeks after an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia; however, PSG reduced the suspension after the veteran goal scorer issued a public apology.
Nonetheless, it wasn’t enough for some supporters who whistled at Messi during the contest. French football pundit Bixente Lizarazu slammed the supporters that partook in the heckling of Messi.
“I’m ashamed of the way we treat Messi,” Lizarazu said on Telefoot Sunday (h/t Canal Supporters). “He is not having a disastrous season, he has scored 15 goals and provided 15 assists (in Ligue 1 ). Yes, since the World Cup, it went down, of course. But we are talking about the best, or one of the best players in history. We can’t treat him like an ordinary player. We can’t treat it like that …
“The problem in Paris is that most players are wasted. Apart from Mbappé, who always manages to perform, there are a lot of players who are spoiled by the context. So the problem is not the players; it’s the framework. This framework, this requirement that we must demand day after day, consistency in the construction of the workforce … But that is not Messi’s fault. I think he deserves a little more respect.”
After the match, Danilo and Renato Sanches shared their disappointment with how some supporters treated the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner. However, manager Christophe Galtier praised Messi for handling the situation and not letting the whistles affect his game.
Messi’s tenure with PSG appears to be ending as the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season comes to a close and the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will hit free agency when his contract expires on June 30.
