PSG vs Man City: Why did Lionel Messi lie down behind the wall during free-kick?

Legendary footballer Lionel Messi scored his first goal for his new team, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) during their UEFA Champions League match with Manchester City on September 29. PSG went on to win the match as they defended their 2-0 lead over City. In the same match, Messi was seen laying down behind the wall during a free-kick at the injury time of the game. This unexpected task by the 34-year-old caught the attention of football fans, who took social media by storm with their varied opinions.

The reason why Messi chose to lay down behind the wall, is probably to prevent City from scoring a goal under the wall. In the past, other teams have used this innovative tactic against Messi himself to defend free-kicks with a player lying down behind walls and prevent the maestro from scoring. Meanwhile, former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand during the broadcast from BT Sport, said that it was disrespectful for the legend to be lying down like this. Ferdinand added that if he was in PSG, he would have not let Messi do the task, and instead would have done the job himself. However, PSG won the match comfortably courtesy of the first goal by Idrissa Gueye in the 8th minute of the game and the second goal by Messi at the 74th minute. 

Why did Lionel Messi lay down behind the wall during the free-kick? - Football fans react

A Twitter user reacted to the picture of Messi laying down behind the wall, by saying that Messi gets a taste of his own medicine. He added that Messi started the whole thing, referring to other teams using the tactic against Messi, while he takes the free-kick. Another user sarcastically added that Messi had to defend against his own innovation. Among the many reactions, one of the users added that this act by Messi can be an inspiration to the young football stars who think they are at their best. The user added that if the greatest player of the planed can defend from the ground, then other players shouldn’t shy away from doing such things.

(Image: Twitter/@Champions League)