Messi is ‘no Ronaldo’, says Petit

Former France and Barcelona midfielder Emmanuel Petit said that Lionel Messi is not a leader like his all-time rival and competitor Cristiano Ronaldo and also criticized the little magician for his lax body language during the game against Croatia—a match where the two times World Champions got thrashed 3-0 by Croatia.  

“He’s not a leader. He’s no Ronaldo in that regard. Messi is one of the best players ever, but he needs to show that mentality,” Petit told Paddy Power, according to reports from Goal.com.

Messi has struggled to make an impact so far at Russia 2018, with Argentina on the brink of an early World Cup exit following their humiliating 3-0 defeat to Croatia on Friday.

Whereas Ronaldo netted a hat-trick in Portugal's 3-3 draw with Spain before scoring their winner against Morocco, Messi has floundered in front of goal - missing a penalty against Iceland before putting in an underwhelming display in Nizhny Novgorod.

Petit also criticized Messi and said that the Argentina and Barcelona number 10 disappears when things don’t go well and also slammed him for his lax body language, which was clearly evident during the game against Croatia.

“He needs to wake up! When things go well with Barcelona he's a terrific player. We've seen it in the Champions League, though, when things don't go well, he can disappear on the pitch.

“He's not there anymore. He's not running, he's walking. He's not concerned about the ball. Come on.

“The whole team's body language was so poor, no confidence, no trust between each other. The way they looked, I cannot see Argentina qualifying now.” Petit added.

Another report from Sport suggested that, Petit also said that Argentina's performance against the Croatians, whose third goal was scored by Ivan Rakitic, was ‘shameful’.

Petit said: “Excuse my language, but Argentina look s***. It was shameful to watch them.

“To see Messi walking with his head down, he should be ashamed. I think Messi should wake up a bit more, because when things don't go well for him, he's always down on the pitch, he shows no reaction.” concluded Petit.

Argentina will face Nigeria in their final game of the group stage which is a must win for them in order to qualify for the second round of the competition.