Star Lionel Messi, captain of world champions Argentina, was under-appreciated in France during his time at Paris Saint-Germain, according to former team-mate Kylian Mbappe.

Lionel MessiPhoto: JEAN CATUFFE/DPPI / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

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“We are probably talking about the best player in the history of football. It’s never good news when a player like Messi leaves. Personally, I did not understand why this departure caused so many reactions. We are talking about Messi.

He must be respected, and in France he did not have the respect he deserved. It’s a shame, but that’s how it is. We will have to do everything possible to replace him,” said Mbappe in an interview with the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

Messi played for PSG for two seasons and is out of contract with the Parisian club this summer.

The Argentine recently announced that he has decided to leave Europe to pursue a career in the North American Soccer League (MLS) at Inter Miami, which is president and co-owned by former England player David Beckham.

PSG teammates Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe were rivals in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar, where Argentina beat France on penalties in December.

Kylian Mbappe, Milan fan.

In the same interview, Mbappe recalled that he was a “Milan fan” and wanted to pay tribute to former Rossoneri boss Silvio Berlusconi, who died on Monday at the age of 86.

“This is a big loss for all of football. He was the symbolic president who built the great Milan that made me dream when I was little.”

Mbappe also called for a “change of pace” to tackle racism in stadiums following recent abuses directed at Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan) in Italy and Brazil’s Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) in Spain.

According to the French, such behavior requires a unanimous response.

“We all have to leave the field. If we get out, it will be clear that the situation is serious. Complaining is no longer enough,” says the Les Bleus captain, who wants “more solidarity between the players,” according to Agerpres.