“Messi would make fun of me” - Ex-PSG star opens up on Lionel Messi mocking him for watching Premier League club
Former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder Idrissa Gueye has claimed that Lionel Messi made fun of him every time Everton lost in the Premier League. He added that while Julian Draxler was also involved in the mocking, Kylian Mbappe used to watch the English top-flight matches with him.
Speaking to The Mirror, Gueye, who is back with Everton now, stated that he used to follow the Merseyside club's matches even after joining PSG. He revealed that Mbappe was glued in for all the Premier League games, while Draxler and Lionel Messi chose to poke fun at him. He said:
"It was difficult in the last year, we keep supporting, we believed. I remember [Julian] Draxler every time we lose, he would go 'you see your team, they are not good!' and I would say, 'We will survive' so the day we survived against Crystal Palace he said 'you were lucky' and I said 'I told you'. I told him to come to Everton but he hasn't listened!"
He added:
"Mbappe, yeah he would watch. He liked to watch every game. Lionel Messi, no. It was difficult for me because we were losing a lot and Messi would make fun of me and say, 'Bro come on you see your team is losing and playing like this?' but it was funny. I used to send Seamus Coleman, Mason Holgate and Jordan Pickford messages' Bro, please do it!'. It was important for me to support and show I was there for them."
Gueye played 26 matches with Lionel Messi at PSG, but they never combined for a goal. The midfielder moved back to Everton in 2022, three years after joining the French giants from the Merseyside club.
Why did Idrissa Gueye leave Lionel Messi and Co. at PSG and move back to Everton?
Idrissa Gueye joined Everton in 2016 and left for PSG in 2019. He played for the Ligue 1 giants for three years, before returning to the Premier League side in 2022 for a reported £2 million fee - £28 million less than what the French side paid to sign him.
Speaking to The Mirror, Gueye revealed that Frank Lampard and Seamus Coleman called him and tried to convince him to return to Goodison Park. He obliged and told the English publication:
"They called me because they needed me and I said 'I will come and help'. Lampard called me, Seamus sent me a message, Jordan too and I was part of this team even if I was in Paris. They asked me to come help and I said 'let's go!'."
Gueye played 111 matches for PSG and scored seven goals while assisting six times. He has as many assists for Everton, despite playing 163 matches for the Toffees.