Former Paris Saint-Germain star, Jerome Rothen has slammed Lionel Messi ahead of the club’s Champions League tie with Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Rothen said Messi would not leave a mark at PSG like the club’s former striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, adding that the Argentine will not reach the heights whilst plying his trade for the Ligue 1 giants.
Messi, who joined PSG from Barcelona last summer, has netted just seven times in 20 matches for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
The seven-time Ballon d’ Or winner signed a two-year deal, with an option for a third at the Parc des Princes.
But Rothen believes his move to PSG was the wrong option for him.
“Messi will not leave a mark at Paris Saint-Germain. He’s the boy of another club, Barcelona, which is his life, and so is the city,” Rothen told Marca.
“I don’t think he will make a mark like Ibrahimovic did in the past. Although the history of PSG is shorter, so you never know.”
He added, “There have been great players like Rai [Rai Souza Vieira de Oliveira] and Luis Fernandez over the years, and right now, you can’t put Messi in the same bracket as those.”
