Not even Lionel Messi’s biggest fan will claim his move to Paris Saint-Germain has been a success this season.

The Argentine has scored just one goal in 12 Ligue 1 appearances - six in 18 in all competitions.

But Messi’s ludicrously high standards, that’s well below par.

On Monday night, the Argentine couldn’t prevent PSG crashing out of the French Cup on penalties following a 0-0 draw in the 90 minutes.

Following that defeat, a video went viral highlighting Messi’s individual ‘disasterclass’.

The video encapsulates a difficult evening for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as he misplaces passes, losses possession and generally looks out of sorts

The 34-year-old may not be at the peak of his powers but surely he doesn’t deserve to be mocked.

A lot has been said regarding Messi’s performances this season but maybe it’s time to give him a break. After all, surely he’s got enough credit in the bank for what he’s achieved in his career to date.

And perhaps his former Barcelona teammate, Thierry Henry, summed it up best in November 2020.

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You may remember when Messi went viral for his lack of work rate during Barcelona’s Champions League match against Dynamo Kyiv. He failed to pressurise a defender and everyone was soon criticising him.

But Henry defended him strongly. And much of what he said back then has never been more relevant.

Henry said: "When I see people still having a go at Messi for whatever reason, I laugh.”

Henry went on to say:

If you want to find some stuff, there is one guy you have to leave alone. Leave him alone. Because when he is not going to be on the field, we’re all going to cry. I understand that you need to sell stuff and you need to make stories, but not this guy.

"Seriously. I played with Leo, this is not the guy you need to attack. This is what I don’t understand – and he gets his credit, don’t get me wrong – but sometimes picking on the guy just for the sake of picking on the guy. What he has done for football, it’s second to none.

Henry and Messi

"Please. Leo Messi is just an animal. Assists, passes, forget about it, we can stay all day. It’s pretty simple for me: just enjoy the guy while he’s there and stop complaining about stuff that he doesn’t do. It doesn’t happen often, let’s be honest, but like I said, if there is a guy that deserves a pass, it’s him."

While his comments may have come more than a year ago, what Henry said is so relevant today.

We’re all going to miss Messi when he’s no longer on the pitch so let’s just enjoy him while he lasts and not criticise every poor performance.

After all, he’s the greatest player to have ever played the game.