There are stories of the biggest football stars reacting to what the public thinks about them and their performances. For example, not long ago Rio Ferdinand said that Cristiano Ronaldo texted him asking why some of Ferdinand’s co-pundits state Lionel Messi is better than the Portuguese. And it is not a surprise, it is something the majority would expect of a man obsessed with competing and perfection.But it is not something you would expect from more down-to-earth Messi, right?Sun, 22.45: (1.25) PSG (6.75) REIMS (13.00)Former Liverpool defender and a legend of the Anfield club, now a pundit for Sky Sports – Jamie Carragher – shared an interesting anecdote while covering the Watford-Norwich match with his co-pundit Garry Neville.After Carra suggested earlier this season that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was not a smart signing for Paris Saint-Germain – the 43-year-old Englishman received a rather strange direct message on Instagram.Apparently, the Argentine didn’t take kindly to the opinion and wasted no time in letting the Sky Sports pundit know his feelings. ‘It was on Monday Night Football and I got a private message on Instagram,’ Carragher said on Friday Night Football at Vicarage Road.’From the man [Messi] himself. I will not be showing private messages but he basically called me a donkey.’PSG reopened talks with Mbappe about extensionThe former Liverpool no.23 continued as Neville burst into laughter.’He [Messi] watches Monday Night Football so hopefully he’s watching Friday Night Football as well because Lionel, I absolutely love you, the greatest player of all time and compared to you I was a donkey. You know, I accept that, but you’re not getting in this team.’You haven’t played well enough, even if you did win the Copa America in the summer. It’s not enough to leave my man Mo Salah out the team.’Dembele responds to Barcelona: They want to hurt me, I have been silent so far but not anymoreCarragher did not include the former Barcelona legend in his best XI for 2021 so the 2005 Champions League winner could soon see more private messages from one of the best of all time.’No, no Messi [in my team],’ Carragher said. ‘I mean we had that debate at the start of the season, Ronaldo or Messi. I was the Messi man, he (Neville) was Ronaldo but there’s no place in either team for them.’ In 11 league games for PSG Messi has scored just once, but his tally in the Champions League is a bit better – so far he has found the net five times in five appearances. In July last year, just a month before signing for PSG as a free agent, the 34-year-old Messi won the Copa America with Argentina. Last month, he also won a record seventh Ballon d’Or.
