Whenever Lionel Messi touched the ball during Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-0 win over AC Ajaccio on Saturday night at the Parc des Princes, the Argentine heard whistles and applause. 

Messi had been initially suspended for two weeks after an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia; however, PSG reduced the suspension after the veteran goal scorer issued a public apology. 

Nonetheless, it wasn’t enough for some supporters who whistled at Messi during the contest. French football pundit Bixente Lizarazu slammed the supporters that partook in the heckling of Messi. 

“I’m ashamed of the way we treat Messi,” Lizarazu said on Telefoot Sunday (h/t Canal Supporters). “He is not having a disastrous season, he has scored 15 goals and provided 15 assists (in Ligue 1 ). Yes, since the World Cup, it went down, of course. But we are talking about the best, or one of the best players in history. We can’t treat him like an ordinary player. We can’t treat it like that …

“The problem in Paris is that most players are wasted. Apart from Mbappé, who always manages to perform, there are a lot of players who are spoiled by the context. So the problem is not the players; it’s the framework. This framework, this requirement that we must demand day after day, consistency in the construction of the workforce … But that is not Messi’s fault. I think he deserves a little more respect.”

After the match, Danilo and Renato Sanches shared their disappointment with how some supporters treated the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner. However, manager Christophe Galtier praised Messi for handling the situation and not letting the whistles affect his game.

Messi’s tenure with PSG appears to be ending as the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season comes to a close and the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will hit free agency when his contract expires on June 30. 

Christophe Galtier sends message to PSG fans after Lionel Messi boos

Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier has praised the fans who attempted to drown out the boos being directed at Lionel Messi during Saturday’s 5-0 win over Ajaccio.

Messi is expected to leave Paris in the summer and is being heavily pursued by former employers Barcelona, which led to animosity from fans well before he was punished by PSG for an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this month.

A section of the Parc des Princes crowd could be heard booing Messi with every touch he made on Saturday but Galtier preferred to focus on those attempting to celebrate the Argentine’s contribution.

“Yes, there were a few whistles when Leo touched the ball,” Galtier said after the game. “But very quickly, a large part of the stadium made sure to cover these whistles with applause, encouragement.

“What I remember is that Leo stayed in his game by being very focused and very involved, always with this desire to be the animator on the offensive plan to allow the team to play well and to create situations. After that, it’s like that.

Read the latest on Lionel Messi’s potential Barcelona return & Saudi Arabia links

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“He is used to… His career has led him to sometimes have difficult situations. But I repeat it once again, there were these whistles, but also all these encouragements and this applause each time he succeeded in a technical gesture.”

Teammates Renato Sanches and Danilo Pereira also took the opportunity to discuss the boos after the game, admitting they struggled with the atmosphere on Saturday.

“I don’t know, it’s a bit of a weird situation. It’s hard for Messi, for the team and for the club,” Sanches began.

“It’s tricky for everyone but especially for Messi because no player likes being in this sort of moment. But it’s a situation we can’t control. It’s difficult for him.”

Danilo added to Canal+: “It’s hard because we see teammates being whistled; it hurts. He is a teammate and we are all together. If you have to whistle, it’s the whole team. But it’s okay; we continue, we have a championship that we have to win and that’s what matters.”