"Very disappointed!" - Former PSG star says Lionel Messi hasn't done 'anything' for Ligue 1 giants this season

Jerome Rothen on Lionel Messi's disappointing season with PSG

Former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) player Jerome Rothen has heavily criticized Lionel Messi's impact on the Ligue 1 club this season. He stated that the Argentine "didn't do anything" and has been disappointing on the pitch.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner joined the Parisians last summer after Barcelona failed to renew his contract due to La Liga's wage laws. Since then, he has scored just three goals in 20 league games, making 13 assists in the process. One goal and three of those assists have come in the last two matches.

Lionel Messi, presently on 13 assists, needs five more to tie the Ligue 1 most assists in a single season record. Ángel Di María, also of PSG, holds the record with 18 assists. https://t.co/ML5xvBCOZd

Speaking to ESPN about the Argentine's season, Rothen said (via 442):

"Messi, I am very disappointed. I can even understand the adaptation time, the boy from Barcelona , who did not plan to change clubs like this, at 34 years old. He arrives at PSG, without a fluid team game, so he needs find his place. No problem, he needs time to adapt. But even so, Messi in Ligue 1 has 2 or 3 goals. We are talking about Leo Messi."

Rothen also added that Kylian Mbappe has been winning games for PSG while the former Barcelona man has done nothing. He said:

"Some will say that I am waiting for things that, at 34 or 35 years old, he can no longer deliver. But in Barcelona, last year he was 33 years old, he was still making a difference and scoring goals."

The player turned commentator added:

"I commented on some games, he didn't win them all because the team as a group didn't work and he alone can't win. I'm sorry this season, he didn't do anything, he didn't win a game. The only one who won games is Mbappe. Hence the disappointment."

Lionel Messi's arguable return to form too late for PSG's liking

As aforementioned, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has made four goal contributions in the last two games. However, with a brilliant trio of himself, Mbappe and Neymar, this is already expected against relegation-battling teams like Lorient and Cleremont Foot.

🇦🇷 👟 𝗟𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶 is the first player, since statistics started being recorded in 2007/2008, to have three assists in a match twice in the same season in #Ligue1UberEats. https://t.co/dec9QE0ZfW

The Argentine scored five goals in seven games in the Champions League this season. However, he failed to make an impact in PSG's Round of 16 tie against Real Madrid, even missing a penalty. Los Blancos eventually beat them 3-2 after a Karim Benzema hat-trick nullified two Mbappe goals.

They were also eliminated from the Coupe de France by Nice in February.

Hence, while he seems to be returning to form, the Parisians' fans will still feel that the former Barcelona man has been disappointing for them.