'Bro, come on' - Lionel Messi mocked Idrissa Gueye for watching 'every Everton game' on his phone with Kylian Mbappe at PSG

The Senegal international midfielder spent one season working with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner at Parc des Princes in 2021-22. He kept a close eye on events at Goodison Park during that campaign, as the Toffees battled to avoid relegation out of the Premier League.

His team-mates in France were left a little puzzled by his interest in Everton, with Gueye telling The Mirror: “It was difficult in the last year, we keep supporting, we believed. I remember [Julian] Draxler every time we lose, he would go 'you see your team, they are not good!' and I would say, 'We will survive' so the day we survived against Crystal Palace he said 'you were lucky' and I said 'I told you'. I told him to come to Everton but he hasn't listened!”

Argentine icon Messi was another to question Gueye’s passion for the Toffees, but he did get Kylian Mbappe on board. The 34-year-old midfielder, who returned to Merseyside for a second spell in 2022, added: “Mbappe, yeah he would watch. He liked to watch every game. Messi, no. It was difficult for me because we were losing a lot and he would say, 'Bro come on you see your team is losing and playing like this?' but it was funny. I used to send Seamus Coleman, Mason Holgate and Jordan Pickford messages 'Bro, please do it!'. It was important for me to support and show I was there for them.”

Gueye is hoping to help steer Everton clear of danger again in 2023-24, with another basement battle being played out. Messi, meanwhile, is now in MLS with Inter Miami while Mbappe is reportedly preparing to sever ties with PSG and complete a stunning move to Real Madrid as a free agent.