Sergio Aguero has come to the defence of his good friend Lionel Messi in light of the criticism that the PSG winger has received.
Two of the most influential Argentinian footballers of this generation, Messi and Aguero’s achievements speak for themselves.
Recently retired, Sergio Aguero finished his career as Manchester City’s all-time leading scorer. While in Manchester, the prolific forward won five Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and the 2014/15 Premier League Golden Boot.
Messi has, of course, had quite the career himself. Spending the vast majority of his career at Barcelona, he has won everything there is to win in club football. Messi has four Champions League winners’ medals, to go along with ten La Liga titles and seven Copa Del Rey victories.
On a personal level, he is the all-time leader in Ballon D’Or victories, with seven.
Aguero and Messi have combined for success on the international stage. They both won gold in the Olympic football competition for Argentina at Beijing 2008. At the other end of their illustrious careers, the pair helped Argentina take victory in the 2021 Copa America.
Read: Lionel Messi cries as he breaks goalscoring record and celebrates Copa America win
Away from the pitch, they have a close bond. Messi is the godfather of Aguero’s son, Benjamin. This close friendship almost led to the Argentine duo playing together.
Last summer, Aguero left Manchester City, partially to link up with his compatriot at Barcelona. However, wage issues meant the Spanish giants could not extend Messi’s contract, and he moved to Paris Saint-Germain.
However, his time in the French capital has received much criticism, to the annoyance of his good friend.
Tough start to life in Paris?
Lionel Messi has had a hard time adjusting to playing in France. Although injuries and Covid-19 have meant he hasn’t had the playing time he would have liked, he has just two league goals in 14 games this season.
That being said, the Argentine does have eight assists to go with it, plus five goals from six games in the Champions League. However, these numbers are light years away from a player that scored 30 goals in La Liga last year.
His performances have come under fire from members of the media. For example, following a goalless draw against Nice in December, French newspaper L’Equipe called Messi “slow-paced” and “disconnected”.
Pundits have levelled similar criticism. Former Real Madrid and Spurs man Rafael Van Der Vaart was particularly let down by Messi’s play.
“It makes me sad,” he said (quotes via Marca).
“It’s a question of desire. Does he want it or not? Messi walks now and then. I look at him and think, ‘aren’t you ashamed?’ I’m just getting annoyed.”
While it is appreciated that adapting to a new environment takes time, when your standards are as high as those that Messi has set himself throughout his career, it is perhaps unsurprising that he gets criticised.
Sergio Aguero slams media
Speaking on his Twitch stream, Aguero gave a blunt comment on Messi’s penalty miss in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie against Real Madrid on Tuesday.
“Leo’s penalty was s**t,” he said. “Apart from that, Leo played really well. He smashed it. He was very good and very active.”
The Manchester City legend then turned his attention angrily to the French media after L’Equipe gave Messi a rating of 3/10 for his performance against Real.
“They are a*******s. I had an interview with a French magazine, but I said ‘no, because I support Leo Messi.’ Period. So goodbye [French press]. See you soon. Now I’m angry.”
Sergio Aguero is clearly fed up with those who unfairly criticise Lionel Messi for what was, he believes, a good performance by the PSG man.
He is also not the first person to criticise the media for their scrutiny of Lionel Messi. Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema jumped to the defence of Messi last month, saying that he just needed time to adapt.
Read: Karim Benzema slams Lionel Messi critics in hard-hitting interview
Time will tell whether Messi can take PSG to new heights and Champions League glory.
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