Lionel Messi has become used to receiving hyperbolic comments about his otherworldly abilities throughout his career. However, Paolo Di Canio used an extra-terrestrial metaphor in a much more negative way in a recent appraisal of Messi.
Pundits sang Messi’s praises so much that they almost ran out of words to describe him in the past.
Ray Hudson is renowned for letting his imagination run wild when describing the forward’s exploits. Some of his best are: “You could drop a tarantula in his pants, and he’d still be cool” and “he has an eye for goal better than the cyclops.”
Di Canio, however, feels Messi’s alien qualities are actually a hindrance.
Paolo Di Canio criticises Lionel Messi
The former West Ham player gave his thoughts on Sky Sports Italia. He decided that he preferred Ronaldo over Messi, mostly due to their different states of mind regarding adversity.
Speaking about PSG’s collapse against Real Madrid, Di Canio was not impressed by the Argentine’s reaction.
“Messi left the pitch scratching his head. He has no emotions,” claimed the former Lazio striker.
Di Canio made it clear where he stood on the Ronaldo-Messi debate. “I prefer Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said, before referencing Ronaldo’s hat-trick at the weekend. “Do you want me to sit on the bench against Manchester City? So I go to Portugal, then I come back and score a hat-trick.
“Between the two, and not because of talent, I prefer the human who has a soul to the alien without emotions.”
Never one to shy away from controversy, Di Canio made his feelings clear on Messi’s attitude. He said that the Argentine deserved the boos he got from PSG fans.
“Messi showed the limitations of his personality. Of course, he can be whistled. Thousands of supporters were waiting for him, dreaming of him, but his behaviour has not been correct.”
Tough week for PSG
Di Canio is, of course, referring to the jeers that Lionel Messi and Neymar endured from the Parc des Princes faithful on the weekend. It rounded off a tough week for Paris Saint-Germain.
Their implosion at the hands of Real Madrid saw the Parisians come under heavy criticism. Expectations for an elusive Champions League title, as a result of their great summer signings, were sky high. The failure caused a lot of negativity as a result.
PSG’s incredible summer transfer window resulted in an embarrassing exit in the round of 16. Who’s to blame for it? PSG fans have decided it falls on Lionel Messi and Neymar.
They were booed by their own fans during PSG’s 3-0 win over Bordeaux on Sunday. Some, like Di Canio, say the fans’ displeasure is justified, whereas others have come to the players’ defence.
Read: Luis Suarez responds to Messi and Neymar boos with Instagram post
For instance, Cesc Fabregas jumped to the defence of Neymar and Messi, saying that football “has no memory.”
Writing on Twitter, Fabregas supported his former teammates: “Football has no memory whatsoever… it’s a shame. Always with you brothers.”