According to former striker Thierry Henry, PSG made a mistake when using Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe in the 2021-2023 period.
“I know you will laugh again, but how can you play with Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe at the same time?”, Henry interviewed another former French player, Jerome Rothen on the RMC Sport channel on September 17. “When Messi plays for the Argentina team, they have a different structure. There are not three Messis, there is only him. Messi will shine when placed on a team where he is the only one. boss”.
Henry also recalled a past interview. At that time, he affirmed that leading PSG would be a headache for any coach, despite owning three of the world’s top attacking players. The 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 champion pointed out that the problem of the Paris team lies in structure and organization, instead of people. Therefore, he is not disappointed with what Messi showed at PSG.
Messi scored 32 goals in 75 matches for PSG. However, this rate is much lower than 672 goals in 778 matches for Barca. In two seasons playing with Messi and Neymar, Mbappe is still the player who scored the most goals for PSG, with 80 goals in 89 matches. Meanwhile, Neymar only scored 21 goals in 57 matches. The top three attacking players have only won two Ligue 1s and one French Super Cup together.
At the end of the 2022-2023 season, after PSG was eliminated in the 1/8 round of the Champions League for the second consecutive time, fans continuously criticized Messi and Neymar. The relationship was so bad that Messi quickly decided to leave PSG this summer. The Parc des Princes team then also sold Neymar to Al Hilal.
Contrary to Henry, Rothen repeatedly criticized Messi. The former PSG player from 2004-2010 once accused the Argentine striker of lacking commitment to the club, playing like a farce and missing big matches.
In fact, after releasing Messi and Neymar, PSG still did not play well. They are ranked fifth after the first five rounds of Ligue 1 with eight points (two wins, two draws, and one loss). Mbappe is the team’s only bright spot right now, with seven goals in four matches.
After leaving PSG, Messi found joy in playing for Inter Miami. In 11 games for his new team, the 36-year-old striker scored 11 goals and assisted five times. He also helped Inter Miami win the first title in history – the Leagues Cup and reach the National Cup final.