In his last months in France, Lionel Messi’s reputation among Paris Saint-Germain’s fans got worse to the point where he was being booed off the pitch by the fans. This led to his sensational move to Inter Miami in the American Major League Soccer. A lot of people were shocked to learn that Messi, who is widely regarded as the greatest football player of all time and has won 7 Ballon d’Or awards, was treated in that way by the team’s fans, especially given that his numbers and performances continued to be of high quality even deep into his 30s.
His PSG teammate, young superstar Kylian Mbappe, has said that he feels the same way about how fans of his hometown club treated Messi. Mbappe, who grew up on the outskirts of Paris and is undoubtedly the team’s face as he attempt to become a big player in European football, talked to La Gazzetta Dello Sport and shared his opinions on Messi’s treatment by Paris fans.
“We are talking about potentially the best player in the history of football. It’s never good news when someone like Messi leaves. Personally, I don’t understand why so many people were so relieved that he was gone,” said Mbappe.
He added, “He needs to be respected, and instead he didn’t get the respect he deserved in France. It’s a shame, but that’s how it happened. We will have to do what we can to replace him.”