Jamie Carragher has established himself as a prominent football pundit in the media following his retirement from playing in 2013. However, his comments have not been well-received by some, including Lionel Messi. During a recent appearance on CBS Sports, Carragher shared an incident where Messi sent him a direct message on Instagram in response to something he had said publicly about him. The exchange was lighthearted and Carragher shared it with amusement during the broadcast.
The Tale behind Messi's message
Following Messi's move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, Carragher openly expressed his doubts about the move and its implications for the club. He questioned the wisdom of the transfer, considering Messi's departure from Barcelona after 21 years of dedicated service. The Inter Miami superstar took offense to Carragher's comments and didn't hesitate to share his thoughts with Carragher.
Carragher revealed Messi's message
During CBS' coverage of the Champions League, the former Liverpool defender disclosed that Messi had once contacted him via direct message. He promptly shared the message, which was in Spanish, with his colleagues.
The message referred to Carragher as a 'Burro', which initially left him puzzled. However, he soon learned that the English translation of the word was 'donkey'. Despite the unexpected nature of the message, Carragher and the crew found it amusing. Upon understanding the meaning, Carragher took it in good spirits, expressing gratitude to Messi choosing not to take offence and seeing the funny side of the interaction.
Watch the video here:
Jamie Carragher has revealed what #InterMiamiCF ‘s Lionel Messi DM’d him after he criticised the 2020 World Champion, live on air…
— Claudio (@ClaudioFutbol) September 20, 2023
🎥CBS sports pic.twitter.com/yDYcHEiBGu
Carragher was partially correct
Upon reflection, Carragher's comments appear to have been quite accurate. His analysis was quite precise, and two years later, Messi's transfer to PSG could be seen as somewhat disappointing. The team did not achieve significant success in the Champions League, and Messi eventually left to join Inter Miami in the MLS.
The star-studded team struggled to find cohesion, and Messi wasn't the only one to depart the Ligue 1 champions; his former Barcelona teammate Neymar also left, followed by Mbappe in this year's summer transfer window.