Lionel Messi plays well when the going is good and does not have the same leadership qualities as Cristiano Ronaldo, according to former Barcelona player Emmanuel Petit. 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 failed to register a goal in the game, missing a penalty against Iceland before putting in an underwhelming display in Nizhny Novgorod. Jorge Sampaoli’s side must now beat Nigeria to stand a chance of qualifying, although they could still miss out shoud Iceland manage an unlikely victory over Croatia, and Petit – a World Cup winner with France in 1998 – insists Messi must shoulder some of the blame.
“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 said.
“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.”