Rothen: 'Messi is missing in big matches'

"We don't need Messi, and you have to go," Rothen told RMC. "Messi doesn't want to invest in PSG either. You always say you're adapting, but what's the point of adapting lad? To score 18 goals and assist 16 times against opponents like Angers or Clermont? ".

In Messi's two seasons in Paris, PSG were eliminated in the round of 16, although the previous two seasons they reached at least the semi-finals. In the four round of 16 matches, Messi did not score or assist, while Mbappe scored twice and Neymar assisted twice. On the evening of March 8, PSG failed to score any goals against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, accepting elimination.

"Looking at Messi playing in the World Cup, you can see how determined he is," added Rothen. "The color of the team shirt has its own meaning, but you also have to respect the club because they pay you. PSG think Messi can help them win the Champions League, but in reality he won't help the team win the title. Messi was missing in big matches and now PSG is back on the ground."

Rothen played for PSG between 2004-2009, scoring 13 goals in 180 games as a winger. The team transformed in 2011 to become a giant, after being acquired by Qatar, to attend the Champions League group stage consecutively from the 2012-2013 season. But in five of the last seven periods, PSG were eliminated in the round of 16, more than the team behind two stops.

Messi has won the Champions League four times, all with Barca in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015. He joined PSG in the summer of 2021 on a free form, after his contract with Barca expired. Messi's father and agent negotiated with PSG in February 2023 about an extension, but the two sides have not reached an agreement. They will sit down to negotiate in the next few days, when Messi's contract expires at the end of this season.