“When He Played for Argentina, There Was a Structure” – Lionel Messi’s Failure at ‘Hell’ PSG Detailed by Thierry Henry

Lionel Messi‘s stint at PSG was not the most successful. The World Cup winner and Neymar were reunited at Paris Saint-Germain, where both players were expected to guide the Parisian club to Champions League glory. However, it didn’t pan out and many fans’ expectations weren’t met. According to Neymar, the pair went through ‘hell’ whilst in Paris. Arsenal soccer legend Thierry Henry explained the tactical reason behind Lionel Messi not succeeding as PSG because he wasn’t the ‘boss’.

This was in a recent conversation with Jerome Rothen. Former PSG player Rothen was an integral figure in Monaco’s 2004 UEFA Champions League dream run to the final. Monaco eventually lost to Porto managed by a certain Jose Mourinho on the night, and the rest is history. Trivia aside, Rothen was in conversation with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry about Lionel Messi’s failed stint at PSG.

Henry explains the difference between Lionel Messi at PSG and Argentina

Thierry Henry played with Messi at Barcelona under Pep Guardiola. And most famously, they won the treble in 2008/09. However, French soccer legend Henry has made his assessment of, in particular, how the PSG team was set up for Lionel Messi, as compared to Argentina.

Speaking about Messi, ex-PSG winger Jerome Rothen said, “ Thierry, you must be disappointed with Messi’s two years at PSG, aren’t you?. Henry was quick to respond. He quoted, “No, I’ll tell you why. I’ll remind you that when I first came to Amazon, I said, ‘I’d like to play this team, it’s a headache’. Again, I was talking about structure, organization. I know you’re going to laugh again, but how do you play with all three at once?

Rothen added,

“They could have done better, they could have been a bit more committed, couldn’t they? It’s just in his behavior”. However, Henry disagreed. He continued, “I can’t say that. Why can’t you? Because it happened to me. When he played for Argentina, there was a structure. There aren’t three Messis, just him. You put him in a framework where he’s the boss. But at some point, I’m going to tell you something: I left Arsenal. It’s a very important thing. I cried when I left Arsenal for Barça. It took me a year to realize that I’d left Arsenal”.

Henry’s statements suggested that perhaps Lionel Messi needed to play in a more tactical setup and structure where the Argentine World Cup could run the show. Something that didn’t happen under both Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino while he was at PSG. But which surely happened did for Argentina, as Messi went on to lift the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Also Read: After Landing Lionel Messi in Miami, David Beckham Nominated for Hall of Fame Feat in USA

 Neymar recently shed light on his struggles at PSG along with Messi

Both Lionel Messi and Neymar left PSG for newer pastures this summer. Messi moved to the MLS to play for Inter Miami. While Neymar made a big money move to the Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal. Neymar has since suggested that both he and Messi didn’t like Paris and went through ‘hell’ while playing at PSG. This led to severe backlash, as well.

Neymar was quoted saying, “I was very happy for the year he had but at the same time very sad because he’s experienced both sides of the coin. He’s gone to heaven with the Argentina national team. He’s won everything in recent years, and with Paris, he lived through hell. We lived through hell, both he and I“. However, Neymar’s comments were not well received by everyone. Especially in France. Former France and Arsenal legend Robert Pires said, “I call it crybabies.” 

Nevertheless, it’s now a fresh start for the Parisian giants under Luis Enrique after the sale of Lionel Messi and Neymar earlier this summer.

WATCH THIS STORY- Soccer Stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo Makes a Huge Assist for Esports Space