Ex-PSG Striker Wants Lionel Messi To 'Serve' His 'No. 1' Teammate

A Paris Saint-Germain legend is urging Lionel Messi to play a new role for his new teammates.

Having started his professional career with PSG, Nicolas Anelka knew the Parisians’ culture very well. Now that Messi has become PSG’s newest star, Anelka wants him to forget about his Barcelona legacy and acknowledge Kylian Mbappe as the club’s “no. 1” player.

"[Kylian] Mbappe has to lead the attack because he's [PSG’s] No. 1 [player],” Anelka told Le Parisien. "[Lionel] Messi was at Barcelona, but now he has to serve Mbappe. He's been at the club for five years and Messi has to respect him.”

Anelka then raved about Mbappe’s qualities and advised PSG to “do everything” they can to keep the French forward.

"He's a phenomenal player in terms of his speed, there's no one better on the planet," the former PSG striker said of Mbappe. "If Paris wants to have the best team, they have to do everything they can to keep him.”

"But I think it's very clear in Kylian's head,” he added. “He wants to see something else, and that makes sense. He's dreaming of the Ballon d'Or, and how can he win it if he's playing in the sixth-best [now fifth] league by UEFA coefficient? If Kylian had been in England or Spain for the last three years, he would have already won the Ballon d'Or."

Rennes handed PSG its first loss of the new Ligue 1 season. To this day, the attacking trident of Messi, Mbappe and Neymar has yet to pull off an exceptional performance for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Revealing his thoughts about the newly-formed PSG trio, Mbappe implied that the key for them to be at their best is to be unselfish.

"When you play up top with players like that, you have to share the cake so that all three can eat," Mbappe told RMC Sport of playing with Messi and Neymar. "You can't say that you'll pass to one and not the other. You have to be smart. There will always be moments of frustration, but the only interest the three of us have is to make PSG win."

"It's very easy to play with Messi, really," he added. "He really understands football, always knows what to do. If he has to dribble past everyone and score a goal, he'll do it. If he has to play with one touch, he'll do it. He's one of the best, if not the best."