Messi Slammed For Shedding ‘Crocodile Tears’ At Barcelona Farewell
Former Egypt manager Mohsen Saleh has slammed Lionel Messi for shedding crocodile tears during his Barcelona farewell on Sunday.
Messi ended a 21-year association with Barcelona last week after the Catalan giants failed to put a suitable financial package together to retain the six-time Ballon d’or winner.
The 34-year-old has since signed a two-year contract with the option for a further year with French giants Paris Saint Germain.
Saleh is adamant that Messi should have reduced his wages to stay at the Camp Nou.
“Crocodile tears are when a hypocrite cries despite not feeling any kind of sadness. He in fact feels the opposite way,” the 72-year-old wrote on Twitter.
“Messi, why are you crying when you could have stayed by sacrificing a part of your salary due to the club’s current financial state?
“You’re greedy, and you’re not the only one, you claim you left because of the rules while others claim they left for ambition.”
In Messi’s defence, he agreed to a fifty percent reduction of his salary at Barcelona. Under Spanish regulations, it would have been illegal to reduce his salary any further.
Messi made 778 appearances for Barcelona after making his debut in 2003 and is the club’s all-time top scorer with 672 goals. He won 35 trophies with the club including four UEFA Champions League trophies and 10 La Liga titles.
