L'Equipe, France's leading sports daily and founder of the Tour de France and the European Cup (now the Champions League), published an article on June 28, the day before the round of 16 match between PSG and Inter Miami, titled: "Protests, cards, trouble: Call Messi a dirty player".

The article described an incident during Inter Miami's 2-2 draw with Palmeiras in the group stage: "A rough but effective foul to stop a counter-attack. A reproach to teammate Telasco Segovia for losing the ball. A thumbs-up to the referee after receiving a yellow card. That wasn't Thiago Motta, but Lionel Messi. Miami was leading by two goals but was held to a draw, which greatly annoyed the 8-time Ballon d'Or winner," the French newspaper wrote.

Messi receives a yellow card during Inter Miami's draw with Palmeiras at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, USA, in the final match of Group A of the FIFA Club World Cup on 23/6/2025. Photo: Antara

L'Equipe reported that Messi left the pitch after the June 23 match without speaking to anyone, only acknowledging former Brazilian midfielder Djalminha with a smile before gifting him his jersey and heading down the tunnel.

While stopping short of calling Messi a "bad boy," the newspaper suggested that "the image of the serene genius, getting up unfazed despite repeated fouls, is a thing of the past." They argue that Messi has changed since the tense quarter-final of the 2022 World Cup, which saw 17 yellow cards issued as Argentina eliminated the Netherlands. Messi provoked the Dutch coaching staff and famously told striker Wout Weghorst, "What are you looking at, fool?".

Argentina went on to win the World Cup, defeating France in a penalty shootout, giving Messi his first World Cup title.

L'Equipe highlighted further instances of what they consider Messi's "dirty play" since then: grabbing the neck of a New York City FC assistant coach in February 2025, resulting in a fine; berating the referee for not awarding a free kick in a match against the San Jose Earthquakes last month; and accusing the referee in the Orlando City match of "not knowing the rules."

"The 'love story' between Messi and the referees is like a long-running soap opera, with a new episode every week," the newspaper quipped.

L'Equipe's front page on June 28 featured a picture of Messi with the caption: "All is not forgiven".

Eurosport also published an article on June 29 titled "Messi at PSG: A necessary disaster." The article argues that Messi's two seasons at PSG (2021-2023) were a mistake, but a necessary wake-up call for the club to change its philosophy. PSG shifted from relying on superstars to building a team-oriented approach, ultimately winning the 2025 Champions League, their first ever.

During Messi's two seasons, PSG were eliminated in the round of 16 of the Champions League. "Messi's brilliance three months before the 2022 World Cup was all deception," Eurosport wrote. "His decline in form after the World Cup is the clearest proof. Messi was PSG's latest big mistake, but that mistake gave birth to their most beautiful strategy to date."

France24 described Messi's reunion with PSG as a "stormy reunion," expressing displeasure at Messi's repeated statements about his unhappiness in Paris.

Liberation used even stronger language. Referring to Messi's claim that his neighbors in Paris had to ring his doorbell to ask his children to stop playing ball in the garden at 9 or 10 pm, the newspaper wrote, "The best player in the world has reached a certain level of fragility."

Neymar, Kylian Mbappe (center) and Lionel Messi before the Ligue 1 match between PSG and Troyes at Parc des Princes, Paris on 29/10/2022. Photo: AFP

Messi was suspended for two weeks for an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia for a promotional event, for which he later apologized to the club. Liberation commented that in his apology video, Messi "dressed like a puppet and stammered like a 5-year-old."

In contrast to the French media, PSG praised Messi ahead of the clash at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Coach Luis Enrique said Messi played like a different species in training sessions during their time together at Barcelona. 19-year-old midfielder Desire Doue considers the Inter Miami captain the greatest player of all time and an inspiration to young players.

Compiled by Hoang An