Much has been made of the fact that Lionel Messi was substituted last night during Paris Saint-Germain‘s Ligue 1 clash with Lyon.
The Argentinian icon was making just his third start in a PSG shirt since joining the club on a free transfer this summer.
It hasn’t been the easiest of starts for the 34-year-old, having failed to score or provide an assist in any of his three appearances.
Sandwiched inbetween those appearances was an international break which saw him complete three sets of 90 minutes inside a week for Argentina.
Messi substituted for PSG
Messi completed 75 minutes for PSG against Lyon before being substituted with the score at 1-1. He also didn’t take his side’s penalty on the night, which was scored by Neymar.
The decision was questioned at the time on social media, although PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino explained: “I took the decision to take Leo Messi off to protect him for possible injuries. We have important games coming up and we want to protect him.”
A clip has since been posted to Twitter showing Messi feeling his knee minutes before he was taken off – and fans believe it is the reason why he was indeed substituted.
Despite this, the forward didn’t seem too impressed upon exiting the pitch, failing to shake his manager’s hand as he walked towards the dugout.
PSG did eventually go on to win the game 2-1, with substitute Mauro Icardi scoring the winning goal in the 92nd minute.
The result maintains their 100% start to the season, having won all six of their opening Ligue 1 games.
PSG are next in action on Wednesday when they travel to the Stade Municipal Saint-Symphorien to take on Metz.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
