Lionel Messi ‘couldn’t be the boss’ and there was no structure for him to thrive at PSG alongside Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, claims Thierry Henry as he defends his former Barcelona team-mate’s struggles in France
- Thierry Henry was not ‘disappointed’ by Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain
- Arsenal legend said it was a ‘headache’ to play with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Kicking Off!
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has claimed that it was not possible for Lionel Messi to play his best football at Paris Saint-Germain alongside Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
The Argentinian World Cup winner scored 32 goals in 75 appearances during his time in the French capital, winning back-to-back Ligue 1 titles in the process.
However, he was unable to guide PSG beyond the last 16 of the Champions League and left for MLS side Inter Miami in June.
Messi’s time at the club was not without controversy, with the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner suspended for two weeks earlier this year after taking an unsanctioned trip to Saudi Arabia.
Suggestions of a fractured relationship with fellow forwards Mbappe and Neymar dominated the final months of last season.
Thierry Henry has defended former Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi following his underwhelming spell in Ligue 1 with PSG
Messi scored 32 goals in 75 appearances in Paris, winning Ligue 1 twice, but he failed to deliver Champions League success
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Henry, who recently became manager of the France U21 side, defended his former Barcelona team-mate’s spell in France when asked if it had been underwhelming.
He told RMC Sport: ‘No, I’ll say why. I remind you when I arrived at the beginning [as a pundit], on Amazon, I said “For me to play in this team, it’s a headache”.
‘I was talking about structure, organisation. How do you play with all three (Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe) at the same time?
‘When he (Messi) played with the Argentina team, [there was] a structure. There are not three Messi’s, just him. You put him in a framework where he alone is the boss [and he will shine].’
Messi has enjoyed a successful start to his career in Miami, finding the net 11 times in his first 11 appearances.
A number of fans were left disappointed on Saturday as the forward missed Inter Miami’s 5-2 defeat to Atlanta United.
Neymar also left Paris this summer, joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in a £78million deal.
Henry pointed to the difficulty of fitting Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe into the same ‘framework’
The Argentinian World Cup winner signed for MLS side Inter Miami in June and has made a promising start to life in the USA
Neymar joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in a £78million deal not long after his former Barcelona team-mate departed the French capital
The Brazilian made his debut for his new side last week, and fans booed when the new arrival was denied the chance to take a late penalty in a 6-1 win against Al-Riyadh.
The departures have left Mbappe as the main man at PSG despite a summer of speculation that initially saw him banished from training with Luis Enrique’s side.
He has since returned to the team though, scoring seven goals in just four league appearances this term.
The 24-year-old found the net twice in Friday’s 3-2 defeat to Nice at the Parc des Princes.
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