Jamie Carragher picks Lionel Messi in TOTY because Real Madrid superstar plays in a ‘joke league’ 

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has attempted to include Lionel Messi in his EA Sports FC 24 Team of the Year over Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, describing La Liga as a 'joke' of a league.

Carragher recently appeared alongside Gary Neville on Sky Sports where the pair came up with their combined Team of the Year. They selected Alisson Becker in goal, before choosing Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kim Min-Jae, Ruben Dias, and Federico Dimarco to make up his defense.

Their midfield consisted of Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and Jude Bellingham. While the pair agreed to include Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in the attack, they disagreed on who would be the team's right-winger.

Carragher tried to include Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi, saying (via @MadridXtra):

“In my TOTY, I have chosen Messi.”

To which Neville responded:

“I have gone for Vinicius Jr. He has 35 goal contributions this year.”

Carragher was far from impressed, criticizing the quality of La Liga in the process:

“In a joke league, a joke league! What did Real Madrid win?”

The pair did manage to reach a final consensus, including Vinicius in the final XI.

Lionel Messi had an impressive 2022-23 season campaign, scoring 32 goals and providing 25 assists in 55 appearances across all competitions for PSG and Inter Miami. He won two trophies and won his eighth Ballon d'Or award in October.

On the other hand, Vinicius also flourished at Real Madrid. The 23-year-old netted 23 goals and registered 21 assists in 55 appearances last season. He has started this season with a bang too, posting six goals and four assists in 15 appearances to date.

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"He's not a bad guy but I don't like it" - PSG chairman slams Lionel Messi for past comments

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi recently called out Lionel Messi for his lack of respect over his comments last September.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory in December 2022, scoring seven goals and winning the Golden Ball in the process. He netted a brilliant brace, helping his nation defeat Kylian Mbappe's France 4-2 on penalties in the final after the clash had ended 3-3 in extra time.

Lionel Messi's Argentinian teammates were celebrated at their respective clubs, but the 36-year-old was not recognized at PSG for his achievement. This led to him complaining in September about it.

Al-Khelaifi told RMC Sport (via People):

"He's not a bad guy but I don't like it, I'll say, not just for him but for everyone, we talk when we're there, not when we're gone. That's not our style... I have great respect for [Messi] but if someone wants to speak badly about Paris Saint-Germain afterwards, that's not good. That's not respect."

He also explained why PSG didn't celebrate Messi's World Cup win:

"If anyone talks about the fact that we didn't celebrate him enough after he won the World Cup, we're in France and he won against Kylian. We are a French club. I don't want the whole stadium to be against him either."

Messi currently plies his trade for MLS club Inter Miami and is expected to return to action in February.