Christopher Galtier has called out Paris Saint-Germain fans who whistled at Lionel Messi as ‘very harsh.’
The Argentine legend was booed on Sunday as PSG went 1-0 down to Lyon, with the French champions going on to lose their second game in a row.
Their lead at the top of Ligue 1 is now down to just six points, making the clash with second-place Lens on April 15 a huge game in the title race.
Despite the disappointing result, Galtier felt jeers at Messi were unwarranted.
He said after the game: ‘Whistles against Leo Messi are very harsh. Leo is a player who gives a lot. He also gave a lot in the first part of the season but it is also up to other players to have more functions.
Lionel Messi was booed by PSG fans on Sunday as the French giants lost 1-0 to Lyon
It was a second league loss in a row for the champions, reducing their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to six points
‘We are waiting for Leo and Kylian Mbappe, to unlock situations, But around Leo, the players must take more responsibility, because we can’t expect everything to come from Leo or Kylian.’
The reaction from fans comes at odds with Messi’s performances as a whole this season, as the the 35-year-old has picked up 18 goals in all competitions either side of his World Cup triumph in Qatar.
His former Barcelona teammate Thierry Henry also came out against the booing fans.
‘It’s embarrassing to hear whistles from the Parc,’ he told Amazon Prime after the game.
‘You can’t whistle one of the best players in the team, who has 13 goals and 13 assists this season [in Ligue 1].’
Both Christophe Galtier (left) and Thierry Henry (right) criticised fans for booing Messi
On what is next for Messi, the Arsenal legend added: ‘Personally, I would like to see him finish his career at Barcelona, in Europe.
‘For the love of football, he should go back to Barcelona.’
The Catalan giants are reportedly keen on bringing the Argentine superstar back to the Camp Nou, as he is yet to agree a contract extension in Paris.
However, Messi has told his international teammates that he does want to stay at PSG, and Barca may struggle to bring in new players this summer given their ongoing financial issues.
SRC: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/
