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Jerome Rothen is infuriated to see PSG superstar Lionel Messi nominated for the Ligue 1 'Player of the Year' award ahead of ex-Arsenal stars Alexis Sanchez and Alexandre Lacazette.
The UNFP announced the five candidates for the award for the best player in Ligue 1 for the 2022-23 season earlier this week. PSG duo Messi and Kylian Mbappe, RC Lens teammates Lois Openda and Seko Fofana and LOSC Lille striker Jonathan David have made the cut.
Messi has scored and assisted 15 goals each in 29 league games this season. Mbappe, meanwhile, is the top scorer in Ligue 1 with 26 goals to his tally. The two are also on course to win the title with Les Parisiens, who have a six-point lead over second-placed Lens with three games left.
Openda and Fofana have helped Lens challenge the Paris outfit for the title. The former has bagged 19 goals and three assists in 35 Ligue 1 games, while the latter has six goals and four assists from midfield. David, on the other hand, has scored 21 times and provided four assists in 34 league appearances for fifth-place Lille.
Although each of the five players have impressed for their respective teams, the list has divided opinion. Rothen, in particular, reckons Messi does not deserve to be in the mix for the accolade.
"We have to stop! Lionel Messi has statistics? But who cares about me? This vision is not good," Rothen said on French broadcaster RMC Sport (via GOAL France). "We talk about statistics, ok it's important, but it's not just that. A player's great season is (determined by) the influence he has on his club, how he improves his teammates."
The former PSG winger continued:
"Which teammates has he (Lionel Messi) improved this year?" Rothen added. "Of course, he made decisive passes to Mbappe, five or six, yes, well done. It is thanks to him that he is the top scorer in the championship. Why is Mbappe the best player in the championship? Because he exudes incredible strength individually and collectively. He helps his club shine and win titles."
Rothen went on to say that Olympique Marseille's Sanchez and Olympique Lyon's Lacazette, both formerly of Arsenal, not being included in the list is shocking.
"Alexis Sanchez, it's a scandal that he's not there because he allows Marseille to be the second or the third team in the championship and Lacazette because he has scored so many goals in an average team, he pushes the others and he shines!" Rothen added.
The former PSG winger concluded by opining that Messi has not had a memorable game at the Parc des Princes in Ligue 1 this season.
"No, I'm not stuck on Lionel Messi," Rothen continued. "Even when he scored at the last minute or made an assist to save his game, can we bring out a great match for Lionel Messi at the Parc des Princes this season in Ligue 1? Lille? Before his goal (in the 4-3 win in February) what did he do? He had a great game?! He doesn't deserve to be in the top five players in Ligue 1 this season."
The winner of the award will be announced on May 28, a day after PSG's penultimate Ligue 1 game against Strasbourg.
Do ex-Arsenal duo Alexis Sanchez and Alexandre Lacazette deserve to be on the list ahead of PSG's Lionel Messi?
Lionel Messi has 15 goals to his name in Ligue 1 this season. That is nine goals more than what he scored last term. The PSG superstar's assist tally of 15 is also the best in the league.
Alexis Sanchez, meanwhile, has helped Marseille challenge Les Parisiens for the title. His team are third in Ligue 1 with 73 points from 35 games, sitting eight points behind the toppers. The former Arsenal star has bagged 14 goals and three assists in the league.
Alexandre Lacazette's Lyon sit seventh in the table with 56 points in 35 games. However, the former Arsenal frontman has been in fine form for this season. He has netted 25 games and provided four assists from 32 Ligue 1 appearances.
