With Lionel Messi having recently returned to club action following his 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph, the Argentine has become the subject of much criticism from French media.
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Reigning Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain suffered a second loss in three league games this past weekend, when they were condemned to a defeat by Stade Rennais.
The 1-0 loss was Messi's second match back for PSG after his World Cup victory, but despite co-stars Kylian Mbappe and Neymar also starting the encounter, it was the 35-year-old who appeared to receive most of the criticism from French media.
RMC Sport described the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner's recent exploits by saying: "He had half a good season because he was preparing for the World Cup, he was training, but now that's over."
L'Equipe also gave a scathing criticism of the former Barcelona captain, rating his performance against Rennais a four out of 10.
"We didn't see the extravagance of the ball at his feet that we are used to seeing," the newspaper stated.
"The Argentine tried to work for his team, mainly by recovering balls in his 30 meters, before collapsing in the second half."
Le Parisien were not as harsh on Messi after the loss, suggesting only that the diminutive attacker's impact on the match was "limited".
Messi's World Cup victory came at the expense of France, the country in which he plies his trade, so some may still be upset at the football icon for stopping the French from becoming only the third nation ever to retain a world championship crown.
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