Former PSG player Jerome Rothen calls out Messi, Argentina's behavior

Former Paris Saint-Germain player Jerome Rothen, who also represented the French national team during his playing days, took a jab at Lionel Messi and Argentina for their behavior.

“When it comes to their behavior, they are the first to attack others. Starting with the star of this team, Leo Messi,” Rothen said. “Now that he is a world champion and has had a good rest ahead of the World Cup since two years ago at PSG. He used to have the image of a sweet guy, but now he has changed because his true personality is coming out and he got caught.“

In his “Rothen s’enflamme” show on RMC Sport, the 45-year-old criticized the Inter Miami star for his heated exchange with Brazilian winger Rodrygo, claiming he reflects a negative image of the Argentines.

“Today you can’t even touch him anymore. Only when he takes a hit does he make the same comment he made to Rodrygo last night when he said, ‘Hey, I’m a world champion.’ The team reflects an image of Argentines. Argentine nationality is like that and you feel superior because of someone else. They could have more class.“

Lionel Messi of Argentina (L) and teammate Rodrigo de Paul talk to Rodrygo of Brazil after the match was delayed due to incidents in the stands during a FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier match between Brazil and Argentina at Maracana Stadium on November 21, 2023 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

But the former French midfielder also claimed La Albiceleste are not the best team on the planet, even if they won the last World Cup. “They are world champions. But one thing is for sure: they are not the best team in the world! There are players today who are world champions and I congratulate them for that. But they are far from being the best in their positions.”

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The conversation between Lionel Messi and Rodrygo before Brazil-Argentina, revealed

Rothen said Messi didn’t deserve 2023 Ballon d’Or

Before his latest comments on Messi, Rothen had already launched a rant against the former Barcelona player after he won his eighth Ballon d’Or. In his opinion, Erling Haaland deserved to win it this year.

“It’s shameful! Of course, it’s shameful! For me, Haaland should have won it. Between August 2022 and June 2023, what criteria lead us to believe that Messi is better than the rest? There is basically no criterion where he is the number one,” he said. “If we speak about trophies, he is behind Haaland, even if he did win the World Cup. Haaland won everything with Manchester City and of course, you can’t compare based on the World Cup because Haaland is Norwegian.”

Rothen pointed out the number of records broken by Haaland in his first year in England in the 2022-23 campaign, in which he helped Manchester City win the treble (Premier League, UEFA Champions League, FA Cup).

“Haaland beat all of the records […] even at PSG, Messi wasn’t above the rest. He wasn’t even the best player at the club. It’s problematic that the guy who gets the Ballon d’Or, who is supposed to be the best player in the world, wasn’t even the best player at his club. For three or four years, Messi has not been the best player in the world. We need to stop this madness. And in these four years, he has won two Ballon d’Ors. So, for me, it’s shameful. I can’t believe my eyes.”

Messi emerged victorious in the 2023 Ballon d’Or vote with 462 points, 105 more than the Norwegian striker and 192 clear of Kylian Mbappe. While his performance at PSG wasn’t that impressive, he did shine in the World Cup, scoring seven goals in as many games to help Argentina win the trophy.