“What allows you to say that he doesn’t care about PSG?” – Ex-France star defends Lionel Messi amid criticism due to recent struggles

Former French player Johan Micoud has come to the defense of Lionel Messi after he was accused of not showing much commitment to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

The Argentine forward has faced criticism this season from both fans and pundits, suggesting that he doesn't care about the club. The premise of such an argument has largely been linked to his performance for Les Parisens during the ongoing 2022-23 football campaign.

Messi was even booed by his own fans as his name was read out during PSG's surprise 2-0 defeat against Ligue 1 side Rennes on March 18.

This was believed to be a reaction to what many labeled a lackluster performance in their previous outing against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.

It was a tie where PSG needed their star man to come to their rescue. However, he and his teammates failed to deliver as they eventually crashed out of Europe, courtesy of a disappointing 3-0 aggregate defeat.

Meanwhile, former French midfielder Micoud has revealed that he doesn't believe reports of Messi not showing a strong commitment to PSG. He said (via GOAL):

"You can't speak in the player's place. What allows you to say that he doesn't care about PSG? He told you that, right? No, but you're already talking like that."

He continued:

"You can say he's not happy here, but he doesn't care about PSG... I don't see that on the pitch. I don't see anyone giving a damn. I can't let you say that. It's not true."

The Argentine's future at PSG is currently up in the air as his current contract is expected to expire this summer.

---

Juninho on Lionel Messi being booed by PSG fans

Amid strong claims of Messi of not showing much commitment to PSG on the pitch this season, former Lyon player Juninho has backed the fans to boo the forward.

He made his stand known after Les Parisiens' disappointing defeat suffered at the hands of Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.

The Brazilian icon said:

"In the end, it's for the supporters that we play football. Even if it's Messi, it would be normal to be whistled, his lack of a response [against Bayern] shocked me a bit."

The former Barcelona man has scored 18 goals and provided 17 assists in 32 games across competitions this season.