Ligue 1: Henry defends 'greatest of all time' Messi after PSG's loss to Monaco

A Lionel Messi-less Paris Saint-Germain were beaten 3-0 at Monaco on Sunday, as Neymar and Mbappe were both booked in a feisty Ligue 1 encounter.

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Following Paris Saint-Germain's shocking 3-0 loss at Monaco on Sunday, former Arsenal legend Thierry Henry defended star striker Lionel Messi, who missed the trip to Stade Louis II due to illness. 

Both Messi and Neymar were singled out for boos and jeers when they returned to France after PSG's shocking exit from the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid. 

In the absence of the Argentine, the Ligue 1 leaders displayed a lacklustre performance, with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe being booked in the feisty encounter.

Henry, who spent three seasons at Barcelona and saw a young Messi bloom into one of the greatest footballers of all time, was furious to hear PSG fans gave the 34-year-old a rough reception following their elimination from Europe's elite football competition.

Speaking on Amazon Prime FR, the former Arsenal striker defended Messi, calling him the greatest of all time and slammed PSG fans for booing the Argentine against Bordeaux last weekend.

"Last week, PSG fans booed Messi. How can you boo the greatest of all time?" Henry said. "The guy that has assisted the most goals in Ligue 1? Today, without Messi, the team created nothing," he concluded.

Since his move from Barcelona to PSG, the 7-time Ballon d'Or winner has witnessed a sharp decline in the number of goals. The Argentina international has scored just seven times in 26 games for PSG, compared to 38 in 47 during his last campaign at Camp Nou.

However, Messi still remains a threat to opposing teams as he has laid on ten goals in Ligue 1 in just 18 appearances, a mark only shared by Mbappe and Rennes' Benjamin Bourigeaud.

Even as speculations are rife around Mbappe's move to Real Madrid this summer, Messi's future in PSG also remains a concern, with Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez pledging that the doors at Camp Nou will always be open for the legendary striker as long as he is in charge.