“I would just say thank you” - Ashton Kutcher hails Lionel Messi for his contribution to the beautiful game
Hollywood superstar Ashton Kutcher has heaped praise on 2022 FIFA World Cup winner Lionel Messi, thanking him for making football even more beautiful.
Messi, 35, completed his trophy cabinet by guiding Argentina to their third World Cup win in Qatar in December. The Paris Saint-Germain superstar scored seven goals and claimed three assists to win the Player of the Tournament and Golden Ball.
Having ruled football for nearly 15 years, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is widely hailed as one of the greatest players of all time.
and ready to extend his lead! 
Lionel Messi at the 🔝 and ready to extend his lead! 🐐👀 https://t.co/5WBiIZAAuU
At a press conference for his new movie, "Your Place or Mine," Kutcher wholeheartedly thanked Messi for his contribution to the global game.
“I would just say thank you. Throughout his career, he made the most beautiful sport in the world even more beautiful,” said Kutcher (via El Universal).
The "That 70’s Show" star also went on to laud Messi for the hard work he had put in to become one of the global ambassadors of the game. Kutcher concluded:
“Think about the amount of work he put into becoming that player that the whole world supports, because being a known player in your country or by the fans of your team is one thing, but there are people who don't follow football and support it. just because of the amount of work he put in to become that player.”
PSG coach Christophe Galtier urges players to lighten Lionel Messi’s workload
Lionel Messi produced an impressive performance as PSG bagged a hard-fought 2-1 win over Toulouse on Saturday (February 4).
The former Barcelona superstar scored the winner for PSG in the 58th minute, salvaging a heavy touch from Achraf Hakimi and finding the bottom-right corner with a first-time effort. Hakimi scored PSG’s first goal in the 38th minute after Branco van den Boomen had given Toulouse a 20th-minute lead.
Lionel Messi has now accumulated 385 xG (expected goals) across his 19 season league football career.
He has scored 490 goals across these league seasons.
Just the 105 goals more than expected, because he do things like this finish he did yesterday.
https://t.co/27bZk7ZPE6
After the game, Galtier lauded Messi’s display and asked his players to share his workload.
“Messi was a very important driving force for us, given his goal and the chances he created. I’m asking the team to play for him and to work for him. He must be relieved of certain duties,” Galtier said at a press conference (via Telegraph India). “Teammates must intensify their efforts to win the ball back and to create spaces, so that he can spray around his passes which are so rare.”
Lionel Messi has been in stellar form for the Parisians this season, scoring 15 goals and providing 14 assists in 24 games across competitions.