Lionel Messi has been told he brings nothing to Paris Saint-Germain in a stinging criticism that led to Sergio Aguero hitting back with venom in a furious rant.
The French giants hold a slender lead over Real Madrid after a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League tie on Tuesday night.
But it was not Messi to grab the goal but Kylian Mbappe instead with a sensational piece of skill in the 94th minute.
However, the Argentine could have scored the decider but for Thibaut Courtois - who saved his penalty with a brilliant save.
And it was a tough night in general at the Parc des Princes for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who was given a 3/10 rating from L’Equipe.
Former PSG star Jerome Rothen was particularly brutal with his verdict on the 34-year-old, insisting he is not happy at the club and brings nothing to the team.
He told RMC Sport: "Of course, in terms of merchandising, it's wonderful to have attracted Leo Messi.
"People come to see Messi play at PSG. But you have to recognise that in a sporting context, he brings nothing to PSG.
"The biggest problem is that this was a great match, that's where we expect the great players to perform and tonight it was more of a drag than anything else.
"There are technical errors, losses of the ball, the missed penalty - but it can happen to anyone. It's, above all, his behaviour. He looks down at his boots, it looks like he's not happy."
Pundits across French television had also delivered rebukes at Messi’s performance while he initially struggled to light up Ligue 1.
While he has three assists and one goal in his last three domestic matches, the Argentina international missed seven out of his first 10 games while scoring just once in once in 11 matches.
But his close pal Aguero was furious at the tirades of criticism levelled at his friend and went on a furious rant on his Twitch channel.
He said: "Leo played well, he broke lines. I'm not saying that because he's a friend, but because he played hard. He was good and very active.
"In France, magazines and newspapers killed him. They are a**holes.
“I had an interview scheduled with a French magazine, but I said: 'No, because I support Leo Messi. Period. So goodbye, see you soon.' Now I'm angry."
Aguero left Manchester City for Barcelona in the summer only for Messi to depart before they got the chance to play together at club level.
The striker was then forced into retirement after a heart issue flared up that could have led to a more serious problem had he continued playing.
