This Wednesday will be one month from the day he fulfilled the dream of his life.
That unforgettable December 18, spread eternal joy?
in Argentina and also in all that place on the planet where, with multiple arguments, he was canonized as San Fútbol.
It seemed that
Lionel Messi
would live immaculate until eternity after being world champion with the
Argentine National Team
at the Lusail stadium after that
thriller-final
against France.
He seemed.
It just seemed.
Because
in the land of the world runners-up, the final victims of that dream called Qatar 2022 -which for them was a nightmare-, do not let one pass
.
He had already suffered excessive and harsh criticism in his first season at Paris Saint-Germain.
He had already been incredibly segregated by the
France Football
journalists from the list of the 30 best footballers in the world in the run-up to the Ballon d'Or election. And now, when it seemed impossible for anyone to dare criticize him after such a worldwide display, the 90 tepid minutes against Rennes, under a sticky rain in French Brittany, was enough for some journalists to put him back in their sights.
At least exaggerated.
To start with because the whole team played badly.
In fact,
Messi was the only one to move the bookshelf a bit in a team that looked a lot more like Mauricio Pochettino's version of PSG than Christophe Galtier's PSG
.
What would they have said or written if he adjusted his sights a little on one of the two shots on goal he attempted?
What would they have said if Mbappé, who was on the bench until 10 minutes into the second half, hit the shot after a prodigious assist from the Argentine?
Surely the opposite.
Because
weather vanes, beyond being an antique, exist everywhere.
Messi leaves Roazhon Park frustrated.
Photo: REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
A fact to understand that criticism is, at least, excessive.
Messi had gone 29 games without losing with the French capital's team shirt
-which without him and with Mbappé on the field had just fallen in his previous commitment away from home against Lens-.
PSG's last disappointment with Leo on the field dated from March 2022. The disappointment was no less because it was against
Real Madrid
, at the Santiago Bernabéu, for the round of 16 of the Champions League.
The end of the European dream in that wandering season.
No one should doubt its positive influence.
Always positive.
But some dare to do it. After the 0-1 loss with Rennes, the main sports media once again made visible how easily he gets angry when it comes to Messi.
Could it have something to do with what happened less than a month ago in the Middle East?
Can be.
angry and exaggerated
L'Equipe, Le Parisien and RMC called the entire Galtier team cruel.
The last two blamed Messi and Neymar.
They gave Rosario 4 points.
It is true that it was not his best night.
But a four!
“We didn't see the extravagance of the ball at the foot that we are used to seeing. The Argentine tried to work for his team, coming above all to recover balls in his thirty meters, before sinking in a second half ”
, argued L'Equipe.
Le Parisien, meanwhile, turned on the fan and distributed darts to all sides.
"This PSG no longer resembles the one before the World Cup for a quite simple reason: its three stars no longer have the same level. They played together again for the first time and it will take time for them to get their bearings...if they do "
, he began.
Lionel Messi laments after Hamari Traore's goal.
Photo: AFP
And he continued in a threatening tone:
"There is little doubt for the French world champion, although he ruined a fun face-to-face ten minutes after entering the pitch by raising his shot too high for a goal that seemed easy given his talent. Leo Messi , guided at least by his professionalism and the search for an eighth Ballon d'Or, should do the same as soon as his World Cup legs take him back
. "
And when analyzing the game of the Argentine captain, he pointed out:
“Failed transmissions and limited influence.
The recent world champion suffered like last year inside Roazhon Park
.
blunt.
All for a bad night.
RMC Sport was the toughest of all.
Through a note that bears the signature of Daniel Rolo, he pointed without a filter (and with tremendous impunity) towards the leader of La
Scaloneta
:
“He had a good half-season because he was preparing for the World Cup.
I was training.
Now it's over.
He is the starter because Galtier, the great revolutionary with (Luis) Campos, leaves him on the field”.
Be careful, he didn't just hit Messi.
It also hit Neymar very hard, who on Sunday, unlike the Argentine, had a very poor production:
“Do we realize that Neymar, in terms of hiring and salary, is the biggest failure in the history of football?
I can't think of a bigger failure for what he cost.
It is awful.
Just because he was good in two round of 16 games in 2020 doesn't mean he's going to save your life
. "
As can be seen, at least in the case of Rolo, it is not something personal with Messi.
Criticism from within
Galtier left dissatisfied with the team's performance.
Photo: AFP)
It is true that PSG's performance, as described above, was far from good.
Galtier himself accepted him in the dressing rooms
.
"I am especially disappointed with our performance. We conceded many situations to the opponent and, above all, we have not created anything. We had very few favorable situations, except perhaps at the end, when we pushed in a disorganized way"
, began his analysis.
That was when he focused on the role of Messi.
"If Leo goes down, we have to have many more points of reference up top, which we didn't get. Ney and Leo went out together for the ball in areas where there were people. There was possession, but very few attacking situations. There was never any vertical play. We have We have to find it again. At the moment, we have a lack of verticality
, "said the DT, visibly concerned.
And he tried to find an explanation for the downturn that led him to leave many points along the way in Ligue 1 and suddenly drop the level at the least indicated moment.
The final stretch of the season is coming with the round of 16 against Bayern Munich as the first obstacle and objective.
The crossings will be on 14/2 and 8/3.
“
During eight weeks, the group was completely dispersed, with players by all the world, assuming other principles of game with his national selections.
We had two training sessions to work collectively with everyone"
, he justified himself.
Although it also showed a sign that at the bottom of the tunnel there is light.
"We will have time to work and find our principles of play with much more verticality and have a better offensive response, with supports and midfielders coming from the baseline so that we have a connection with our three attackers. Am I worried about Bayern? The game is near and far, we will concentrate on the games we have to play to find more verticality and continuity in our game”.
The future
Messi and the trophy that PSG gave him for having been world champion.
Regardless of what the journalists say and their ruthless and exaggerated criticism,
all roads lead to Messi remaining at least one more season in Paris Saint-Germain
.
The Argentine captain found in the French capital a place where he feels comfortable and so does his family.
That is why when the excitement for the world title was still boiling, an agreement was reached in principle after a meeting between the club's president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, and Jorge Messi, Leo's father and representative.
The meeting was while the World Cup was being played and served to put on the table the talks that had been coming for months.
When will it close?
It was speculated that everything would be signed after the forward's vacation, who spent the holidays and recharged his batteries in Rosario.
Now everything is in the hands of Campos and the PSG leadership, which seems not to care too much about what the media say.
look also
The emotional letter from Kun Agüero's mother after her son's return to football in the Kings League
Hugo Lloris recalled the defeat in the World Cup final in Qatar against Argentina: "It was like a boxing match"
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