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Former Dutch star Rafael van der Vaart has questioned Lionel Messi's desire and passion by comparing his form to his long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Van der Vaart stated that Messi does not seem to be trying to take PSG forward while Ronaldo has been working extremely hard to do so with Manchester United. Rafael van der Vaart said:
"It makes me sad. It's a question of desire. Does he want it or not? When you compare him to Cristiano Ronaldo, one is fighting to take his team to the next level - and one isn't."
Van der Vaart pointed out that Lionel Messi's loss of desire was seen during his final days at Barcelona under Ronald Koeman.
The 38-year-old Dutchman is disappointed to see this happen as he feels there will never be another player like the six-time Ballon d'Or winner. Van der Vaart added:
"Messi walks now and then. I look at him and think, 'Aren't you ashamed?' I'm just getting annoyed with Messi. It already started a bit with Ronald Koeman [at Barcelona].
"It was actually a refusal to work, that is not normal for such a player. And that's a shame, because a player like this will never be born again."
Lionel Messi had an underwhelming game against Manchester City in the Champions League. The 34-year-old forward failed to make a positive impact on proceedings as PSG fell to a 2-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, netted a crucial opening goal in a 2-0 win for Manchester United which secured their place in the knockout rounds of the tournament.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have had contrasting 2021-22 seasons so far
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have made contrasting starts to their respective clubs this season. The pair made moves in the transfer window with Ronaldo rejoining Manchester United while Lionel Messi joined PSG on a free transfer.
It is safe to say that Cristiano Ronaldo has made a better impact on his new team than Lionel Messi. The 36-year-old forward has scored 10 goals in 14 appearances for Manchester United across all competitions.
Six of those goals have come in the Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored vital late goals against Villarreal and twice against Atalanta.
Lionel Messi, on the other hand, has scored just four times in 10 appearances for PSG. He only scored his first league goal for PSG last weekend against Nantes.
