Lionel Messi's determination at Barcelona questioned by Joe Cole
Joe Cole has accused Lionel Messi of being 'disinterested' during Barcelona's loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. The former Chelsea star believes the Argentine didn't turn up for his team against the French giants on Tuesday.
PSG were 4-1 winners on the night courtesy of a hat-trick by Kylian Mbappe and a goal from Moise Kean. A penalty from Lionel Messi saw Barcelona take the lead over the French side, but PSG took full control of the match after conceding the goal.
Joe Cole was on BT Sport analyzing the game when he accused the Barcelona star of being disinterested in the game.
"Disinterested is the word. They had no power, no togetherness. Messi looked disinterested. It's really hard for any ex-player to criticise him because he's a genius and the greatest player I've seen play football. But tonight, he didn't look like he was emotionally engaged in the game," said Joe Cole.
"He's a leader out there, so is (Gerard) Pique and so is (Sergio) Busquets. The spine of the team at Barcelona looked weak and just fell to bits. It was 4-1 - but it could have been five or six. It's worrying times for Barcelona," Cole added.
Manchester City should think before signing Lionel Messi: Joe Cole
Joe Cole has warned Manchester City about signing Lionel Messi this summer. The pundit believes the Argentine does not have the energy and enthusiasm that Pep Guardiola needs from his players.
"You'd have to do your due diligence before you sign Lionel Messi. He looked disinterested tonight. It will be a gamble to take him into a club where Pep relies on energy, enthusiasm, togetherness," said Joe Cole.
"It's a mess at Barca, I don't know how they're going to sort it out. I can't see Messi staying there. It's going to be tough for him to connect into one of these big teams because he's going to have to roll back the clock and move like he did three or four years ago," Cole added.