"He's a human being first and foremost" - Thierry Henry opens up on Lionel Messi's 'moment of weakness' at PSG
Former Arsenal and Barcelona striker Thierry Henry has opened up on Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Lionel Messi's 'moment of weakness'.
Messi scored the only goal for the Parisian club in their 1-1 draw with Lens to secure his first ever trophy in France.
Paris Saint-Germain are now 10 time league champions in France, level with AS Saint-Étienne although the milestone came on a sour note. A large section of the PSG fanbase opted to leave the Parc des Princes prior to the end of the game. They ultimately celebrated their Ligue 1 win outside the stadium.
The former Barcelona star was not present when his teammates were celebrating their league title at the stadium and it sparked controversies.
Theirry Henry, a former teammate of the Argentine superstar at Barcelona, has claimed that the 34-year-old showed weakness by not coming out to celebrate their success.
However, Henry has claimed that it is only natural for Messi to feel hurt by the whistling and booing of PSG fans as he is also human.
The 44-year-old told Prime Video Sport France:
"We saw him leave. Now being in the speculation, I don't like that too much. All I can say is that at some point when you find yourself on the pitch, you are often whistled."
"In this case, it has often been whistled lately at the Parc des Princes. You can be one of the greatest players in history or perhaps the greatest for some, it hurts. I'm saying maybe he didn't want to celebrate that title at that time. Maybe he had other things on his mind and he's a human being like everyone else."
"It is also a moment of weakness. He gave us a lot of fun, including a goal, which was not bad. But he has his weaknesses, like everyone else, maybe he showed a moment of weakness, didn't come out, but he's a human being first and foremost."
Lionel Messi is far from popular among the PSG fans
Lionel Messi moved to PSG last summer on a free transfer after his contract expired at Barcelona.
However, the 34-year-old failed to live up to his usual heights during his first season at the French capital club.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored just nine times and assisted 13 times in 30 games across all competitions this campaign.
The Argentine has been particularly targeted by PSG fans following their dismissal from the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid.
The 34-year-old, along with his teammates, were booed by fans in their 3-0 Ligue 1 victory over Bordeaux after their heartbreak in the Champions League.