Cesc Fabregas tells PSG fans to ‘be grateful’ after they booed Lionel Messi

'PSG have never had a player like this in their lives'

Cesc Fàbregas has criticised Paris Saint-Germain supporters for their recent treatment of Lionel Messi, telling them they have "never had a player like this in their lives". PSG fans took their frustrations out on the star players after the Ligue 1 club exited the Champions League at the Round of 16 stage at the hands of Real Madrid. Karim Benzema scored a second-half hat-trick for Madrid - with his last two goals coming within seconds of each other - as the LaLiga side overturned a 1-0 first leg deficit to progress to the quarterfinals. Both Messi and Neymar were booed in the recent 3-0 victory over Bordeaux at the Parc des Princes, with whistles heard during the team announcement and when the pair were stood over a free-kick in the first half.

Fabregas says Messi will bring PSG 'great moments'

Now, Fabregas - who played alongside Messi for three seasons at Barcelona - has hit back at PSG fans and told them they should "be grateful" that the Argentine is playing for the club. https://twitter.com/skworldfootball/status/1508101489410990103 "They justify that try get paid a lot, they lost against Real Madrid, that's fine, but didn't they want to win? That's what comes first," he told MARCA. PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino admitted both Messi and Neymar were affected by the boos they received, saying: "We were all affected. We understand the disappointment and the frustration. "We're all living it together, as a team. We have a duty to take responsibility for what happened. We share this disappointment with the supporters." Related links:

• Pochettino says Messi and Neymar were affected by PSG fan boos
• Messi and Neymar booed by PSG fans following Champions League exit
• Spanish media claim Messi close to agreeing return to Barcelona