Lionel Messi hasn't exactly found life plain sailing at Paris Saint-Germain.

While claims that the Barcelona icon has flopped are undoubtedly hyperbolic - lest we forget that he's still notched 15 goal contributions - there's no denying that Messi hasn't been playing his best football.

And Messi's recent performance in the 1-0 Champions League win over Real Madrid became a particularly fierce talking point with the 34-year-old having gone viral for missing a crucial penalty.

Messi vs Real Madrid

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner spurned the chance to give PSG the lead when Thibaut Courtois thwarted his effort from 12 yards, before Kylian Mbappe eventually saved the day with a stoppage-time winner.

Not only was the social media reaction typically scathing, but French publication L'Equipe merely fanned the flames by slapping Messi with a 3/10 rating for a performance deemed to be "sad" and "worrying."

However, Messi's display against his old La Liga rivals wasn't as bad as some have made it out to be with Cesc Fabregas just one of the key figures coming to the Argentine's defence.

That's because Messi's former Barcelona teammate gave an impassioned defence of the PSG forward's performance, even going as far as naming a specific example where he showed his class during the game.

Atletico Madrid 1-1 Chelsea Match Reaction (Football Terrace)

Fabregas praises Messi's pass

The ex-Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder made a point of mentioning Messi's stunning first-half pass to Mbappe, which he believes nobody else on the pitch could have pulled off, in an interview with Mundo Deportivo.

According to a translation by Goal, Fabregas remarked: "I have read things from people who must not have seen him play against Real Madrid. Without being stellar, he played a good game.

"He put Mbappe through on goal in the first half with a pass that none of the other 21 players could've pulled off. He missed a penalty. So what? Judging him for that seems ridiculous to me.

"I remember Luis Enrique's first year [as Barcelona coach] in which [Messi] was criticised a lot. There was a crisis around that. Then Barcelona won the treble. Now something similar can happen.

"I understand that stories have to be sold, but we are talking about a player who can make you eat your words in a second. With Messi you always have to be careful, just in case. There's plenty more to come."

Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 First Leg - Paris St Germain v Real Madrid - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - February 15, 2022 Real Madrid's Eden Hazard in action with Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

Intrigued about the Messi pass now, right?

Messi's stunning pass vs Real Madrid

Well, fear not, because YouTuber 'thesuprementm' has done the legwork and found the delivery in question with no other first-half pass between Messi and Mbappe fitting the world-class criteria being touted.

And true to Fabregas' understandably good eye for a stunning long ball, it really was a fine illustration of Messi's playmaking brilliance in the Real Madrid win, so be sure to check it out down below:

Woof. Just imagine if that had been an assist.

Give Messi the credit

Now, granted, one scintillating pass doesn't mean that it was automatically a great performance and there's no escaping the fact that Messi didn't play perfectly, but L'Equipe's 3/10 rating continues to feel harsh.

At the end of the day, PSG got the job done with Messi showing his typical ruthlessness from the penalty spot and no doubt he'll be additionally pumped up to ensure that he delivers the goods at the Bernabeu.

And with passes like the one that Fabregas just couldn't resist praising, then you wouldn't put it past him to produce something special at the site of so many of his greatest ever moments. Game on.

Soccer Football - Champions League Round of 16 First Leg - Chelsea vs FC Barcelona - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - February 20, 2018 Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in action with Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

Soccer Football - Champions League Round of 16 First Leg - Chelsea vs FC Barcelona - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - February 20, 2018 Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in action with Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas REUTERS/Eddie Keogh