Lionel Messi has changed his behavior since winning the World Cup with Argentina, believes former Paris Saint-Germain player Jérôme Rothen.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner got his hands on his most coveted trophy when he led the Albiceleste to world glory at Qatar 2022. Since then, he has won other trophies with PSG and Inter Miami, becoming the most decorated player of all time.
Messi has, however, been accused of losing his cool more regularly since taking over the world. The 36-year-old would use the fact that he is a world champion as a stick to strike with his opponents whenever they dare to stand up to him.
Rothen, who has been criticizing the South American icon for some time, had a field day on RMC Sport after seeing Messi clash with Brazilian striker Rodrygo during a recent World Cup qualifier. 2026 World Cup:
“Argentina is the first to attack the others. Starting with the star of this team, Leo Messi. Now that he is a world champion and has had a good rest before the World Cup for two years at PSG. He had the image of a nice guy, but now he’s changed because his true personality is coming out and he got caught. Today, we can’t even touch him anymore. It’s only when he takes a hit that he makes the same comment he made to Rodrygo when he told him “Hey, I’m world champion.” The team reflects the image of the Argentines. Argentinian nationality is such that one feels superior because of someone else. They could have more class. »
Rothen also suggested Messi did not deserve the Ballon d’Or he received at a glitzy ceremony in Paris, with Erling Haaland relegated to second place despite Manchester City’s historic 2022-23 triumph.
” It’s a shame ! Of course, it’s shameful! For me, Haaland should have won. Between August 2022 and June 2023, what are the criteria that allow us to think that Messi is better than the others? There are practically no criteria that allow it to be the best. If we talk about trophies, he is behind Haaland, even though he won the World Cup. Haaland won everything with Manchester City and, of course, you can’t make a comparison based on the World Cup because Haaland is Norwegian.
