Former Liverpool Star Djibril Cisse Claims French Footballer Is As Good as Lionel Messi

• Djibril Cisse has compared Ben Arfa to legendary Lionel Messi, saying the Frenchman is as good as the Argentine
• Fans and football pundits believe Ben Arfa failed to reach the potential of his career as he is now a free agent
• Ex-Liverpool of England striker Djibril Cisse has faulted Messi’s poor start to the Ligue 1 suggesting Ben Arfa is equally good

Ex-Liverpool forward Djibril Cisse has disclosed that former Paris Saint-Germain player Hatem Ben Arfa is as good as legendary Lionel Messi, Mirror reports.

Ben Arfa is being viewed as a player who failed to reach his potential as the Frenchman so far played for 10 different clubs across is professional career.

He has won a total of nine titles in his career but he became a cult hero during his time at Premier League club Newcastle United where he scored 14 goals and made 15 assists across competition.

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Ben Arfa spent four seasons at the St James’ Park and he showed incredible match-winning abilities but he was seen as inconsistent.

Having left French Ligue 1 side Bordeaux, Ben Arfa is currently a free agent, but his most memorable moment came during his spell at Nice when he scored 17 league goals in the 2015/2016 season as a midfielder.

On the other hand, the last time Lionel Messi scored less than 20 goals was during the 2007/2008 season, but since then the superstar has always scored more than 30.

The Argentine won 21 major titles during his time with Spanish club Barcelona before his move to French side PSG.

Perhaps emboldened by that poor start to his career in France, Cisse has claimed that Ben Arfa is just as good as the Argentine.

Cisse has never played alongside either player at club level, though he was a team-mate of Ben Arfa’s in the France national side.

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Lionel Messi not impressed with Laporta’s comments

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh earlier reported that former Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has described comments by Barcelona president Joan Laporta as hurtful, saying he did not like what the Catalan boss said.

Messi spent his entire professional career with the Spanish club until last summer when he was forced to leave due to financial constraints, Mirror reports.

The Argentine’s contract renewal came at a time the club were heavily in debt as reports claim the La Liga club were owing over £1bn after they recorded a loss of £409m for last season.