Lionel Messi one of the greatest in football, didn’t get respect he deserved in France: Kylian Mbappe

Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe has tipped Lionel Messi as one of the greatest in football but feels the Argentine didn’t get the respect he deserved in France. Messi moved to PSG in 2021 after Barcelona could not renew his contract due to LA Liga financial regulations.

The talisman led PSG to back-to-back Ligue 1 titles during his tenure along with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr. However, PSG could not make it past the Round-of-16 stage in the UEFA Champions League in the last two editions and thus Messi could not match the lofty expectations of PSG fans.

In fact, Messi was also booed by the PSG fans on a couple of occasions while playing at home. The veteran has now moved to Inter Miami in Major League Soccer after spending two years in Paris.

“I made the decision that I’m going to go to Miami,” Messi said in an interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport newspapers.

“I still haven’t closed it 100%. I’m still missing a few things, but we decided to go ahead. If Barcelona didn’t work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight, and think more about my family.”

Mbappe, who scored eight goals in the FIFA World Cup 2022 for France, showered praise on Lionel Messi.

The Frenchman said while talking to Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview, “He’s (Messi) one of greatest players in the history of football. It’s never good news when someone like Messi leaves.”

“I don’t quite understand why so many people were so relieved that he was gone. He didn’t get the respect he deserved in France.”

Messi scored 16 goals and provided as many assists in the 32 matches of Ligue 1 in the 2022-23 season and played a key role in taking the club to glory.

Messi will now look to deliver the goods for his new team – Inter Miami in MLS.