Thuram: “It's amazing that people whistle Messi”

Barcelona, 24 Mar Lilian Thuram, former Barcelona footballer among other teams and world champion with France in 1998, called it “incredible” that Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fans blew Argentine Leo Messi after the elimination in the round of 16 of the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid. After participating in an event organized by the Fundació Barça and the Council for Public Diplomacy of Catalonia (Diplocat) held at the Camp Nou, the former French international attended the media to defend the Rosario, with whom he coincided in his time as a Barcelona player (2006-08). “When you see PSG losing to Real Madrid and then you see people whistling Messi, it's incredible. I think that should not happen, people should not disrespect Messi. A person who loves football cannot allow Messi to whistle,” he said. In this regard, Thuram defended that “Barcelona is Messi's home” and that after changing clubs “when you want to stay”, as in the case of the Argentine, it is later “very difficult” to adapt to another team. The former French footballer also referred to the future of Kylian Mbappé - “in France everyone says he will play for Real Madrid”, he explained -, of whom he said he is “the player of the moment”. “Mbappé is already a great player because he won the World Cup, he is very important for PSG. When you're so important, having Messi and Neymar on the same team, it means you're a great player,” he said. Finally, Thuram recommended to his compatriot Ousmane Dembélé, who ends his contract with Barça next June, to continue with the Barça team. “When you play for Barça it is sometimes very difficult not to understand that Barça is also a great team. Playing in a great team is always very important and I think that in the end you will appreciate all that. A great player must play in a great team, and Barça is,” he reflected. CHIEF vmc

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