‘Have more class’ – Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi accused of changing behaviour after becoming a World Cup winner with Argentina

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner got his hands on the one trophy that he coveted most when inspiring the Albiceleste to global glory at Qatar 2022. He has won more silverware with PSG and Inter Miami since then, becoming the most-decorated player of all-time in the process.

Messi has, however, been accused of losing his cool on a more regular basis since conquering the world, with the 36-year-old supposedly using the fact that he is a world champion as a stick with which to beat opponents whenever they dare to stand up to him. Rothen, who has been critical of the South American icon for some time, has told RMC Sport after seeing Messi tangle with Brazilian forward Rodrygo during a recent 2026 World Cup qualifier: “When it comes to their [Argentina’s] behaviour, they are the first to attack others. Starting with the star of this team, Leo Messi. Now that he is a world champion and has had a good rest ahead of the World Cup since two years ago at PSG. He used to have the image of a sweet guy, but now he has changed because his true personality is coming out and he got caught. Today you can’t even touch him anymore. Only when he takes a hit does he make the same comment he made to Rodrygo when he said, ‘Hey, I’m a world champion'. The team reflects an image of Argentines. Argentine nationality is like that and you feel superior because of someone else. They could have more class.”

Rothen has also suggested that Messi was undeserving of the Golden Ball that he picked up at a glitzy Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, with Erling Haaland being nudged into second place despite firing Manchester City to a historic Treble in 2022-23. Rothen added: “It’s shameful! Of course, it’s shameful! For me, Haaland should have won it. Between August 2022 and June 2023, what criteria lead us to believe that Messi is better than the rest? There is basically no criterion where he is the number one. If we speak about trophies, he is behind Haaland, even if he did win the World Cup. Haaland won everything with Manchester City and of course, you can’t compare based on the World Cup because Haaland is Norwegian.”

Messi left European football when reaching the end of his contract at PSG. He completed a stunning move to the United States when linking up with Inter Miami and will be looking to land more major honours with the David Beckham co-owned MLS outfit in 2024.