Leonardo does not understand much of the criticism that Lionel Messi has received so far at Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine star player is not nearly as important as he was at Barcelona and is sometimes accused of doing too little on the pitch. The PSG technical director hits back and discusses the situation of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
Messi has so far accounted for six goals and five assists in 15 appearances for PSG. The attacker missed several games due to aches and pains and therefore had a difficult start. “To me, Messi is undeniable,” Leonardo was clear during an extensive interview with Europe1. “People who criticize him don’t understand football. If you look at his stats, Messi’s first few months have been great.”
The TD points out that only Mbappe has delivered more goals and assists than Messi. ‘They are decisive for us. We have not recruited Messi to show off his qualities in every game. Without a doubt we have become stronger with him. Messi is someone who can decide matches, he has already shown that this season.’
According to critics of Messi, the Argentine takes too little part in the game and he ‘walks’ across the field in parts of the game. “Who says you have to run twelve kilometers every race?” Leonardo wondered. “Messi has been playing like this for twenty years. Messi can adapt because he is a genius and the other geniuses have to adapt to him. But even someone like Idrissa Gueye, who runs fifteen kilometers per race, sometimes walks.’- Recommended –
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Mbappe
Painful for Ballon d‘Or winner Messi was that Leonardo called his teammate Mbappe the best player in the world. “He is comfortable in that role. Nothing from the outside world throws him off his path. This season he is even stronger. People will now think that I am saying that so that he will extend his contract, but that is not the case. We want to keep Kylian with us for as long as possible, because the best player in the world now has an expiring contract. It’s a tricky situation. We have a good relationship with his family, but the talks between the two parties have sometimes gone better than now.’
Neymar
Someone who is also regularly criticized is Neymar. The Brazilian is currently injured and has only played 14 games for PSG this season, scoring three times. Leonardo is annoyed by Neymar’s image to the outside world. ‘I am glad that a documentary about him (on Netflix, ed.) is in the making. People say everything. Neymar is this, Neymar is that, Neymar is a monster. Well, he isn’t. A lot of people don’t see the real Neymar, hopefully they do in the movie.”
