Messi criticized for behavior since winning the World Cup

According to former PSG midfielder Jerome Rothen, Lionel Messi has changed his character after winning the 2022 World Cup with Argentina.

On November 22, before the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Brazilian and Argentine fans clashed in the stands of the Maracana Stadium. After failing to resolve the situation, Messi and his teammates went into the locker room, delaying the match for nearly 30 minutes. After returning, he was called a coward by home striker Rodrygo.

Messi immediately corrected himself, calling his opponent a "kid" and emphasizing that Argentina is the reigning world champion.

Asked about this incident, on RMC Sport yesterday, Rothen commented: "The Argentine players provoked first. And the initiator was the number one star in their team, Lionel Messi. Now, he boasts about being a world champion, but Messi achieved that feat thanks to having a lot of rest since moving to PSG two years ago."

Messi argued with Rodrygo before the match between Brazil and Argentina. Photo: Reuters — Messi (left) argues with Rodrygo before the match between Brazil and Argentina. Photo: *Reuters*

Argentina won 1-0 in this match with the only goal from centre-back Nicolas Otamendi. Messi did not leave much of an impression as he was closely followed by the home team's centre-backs Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhaes, before leaving the field in the 78th minute. After the match, Messi explained that he led his teammates to the locker room to calm the situation, believing that it was the best way for them to keep their spirits up for the match.

"Messi used to have a nice image, but now it's changed because his real personality has emerged. It's hard to touch Messi now. Every time he's touched, he says the same thing as Rodrygo: 'Hey, I'm the world champion'. The national team reflects the image of the Argentine people. The Argentine people are always like that, only satisfied when they are better than others. They should behave with more class," Rothen added.

Rothen has been critical of Messi on several occasions. In March, the former France midfielder said that Messi often went missing in big matches. He later said that Messi lacked commitment to PSG and did not show the same determination to fight for the national team as he did at Barca. Rothen even criticized Karim Benzema for praising Messi's performance at PSG.

This time, Rothen also believes that Messi does not deserve to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or. He said: "It's a shame to give that title to Messi. For me, Haaland deserves it. From August 2022 to June 2023, what criteria makes Messi more highly regarded than other players? Basically none. If we talk about titles, Messi is behind Haaland even when he wins the World Cup. Haaland has won everything with Man City and of course, you can't compare based on the World Cup, because Haaland is Norwegian."

Vinh San (according to Goal )

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