'Most Unselfish Player of All Time': Messi's Gesture Wins Hearts as He Hands Over Penalty to Mbappe

After underperforming for months, six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi finally shined for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as he scored a brace to seal a 3-2 win over RB Leipzig in their UEFA Champions League Group A game on Tuesday. However, it was the Argentine's humility which ultimately hogged all the headlines.

Widely considered as the greatest player of all time, it is Argentina skipper Lionel Messi's down to earth nature and his selflessness that is much talked about in the football world.

Messi is known for sharing a great camaraderie with his teammates, something which was once again on display in PSG's game against Leipzig, as the 34-year-old footballer handed his penalty to 2018 FIFA World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe.

Even though the Frenchman missed the penalty, Messi's gesture has won hearts on social media. While some said that the former Barcelona talisman was the "most unselfish player of all time", others claimed that the chemistry between the Argentine maestro and Mbappe was "becoming stronger".

Others hailed Messi's attitude as they insisted that he was a team man in every sense, before quoting the example of Mbappe's France colleague Antoine Griezmann, whom the Argentine gave a lot of confidence during his days with Barcelona.

Messi lets Mbappé take the penalty even though he's on a hat-trick...

Mbappé absolutely skies it 😳

Neymar's reaction says it all.#UCL pic.twitter.com/LrWcEhYbYa

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 19, 2021

Messi handed 30 penalties over to his
teammates, 8 of which would have allowed him to complete a hattrick:

-Neymar (11)
-Suarez (9)
-Eto'o (3)
-Griezmann (3)
-Coutinho (2)
-Ibrahimovic (1)
-Mbappe (1)

Most unselfish player of all Time 🐐 pic.twitter.com/46vvBJpW50

— Thomas (@6BDORS) October 19, 2021

Second time that Messi has recently given away a hattrick-sealing penalty. The first was to give Griezmann some confidence in April. Tonight he wanted to let Mbappé score another. That attitude to serve the whole team, but still excel so much as an individual, is why he’s unique.

— Premier League Panel (@PremLeaguePanel) October 19, 2021

Messi had the chance to score a hat trick but gave the penalty kick to Mbappe.

Unselfishness should be a stat 👏 pic.twitter.com/8WxcU8YWr8

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 19, 2021

Influence in any circle can never be overemphasized. It's only been about 2 months but Messi's selflessness and humility are reflecting on Mbappe's style of play already. If he continues like this, he probably would be ahead of his peers. Enough of calling a Dolphin his mentor. pic.twitter.com/3rlNDjQIoX

— ❤💙Rock™ (@staconzy16) October 19, 2021

Messi and Mbappe chemistry becoming stronger every game pic.twitter.com/yA9wS5nSDm

— AM (@Prime_afc) October 19, 2021

A chance for Messi to become the player with the most hattricks in #UCL history

Messi gave the last minute penalty to Mbappe instead. This is what separates him from the rest. We, the ones who love him, care about the records but he doesn't. He is the best🇦🇷🐐❤#LM7 pic.twitter.com/QCBFc23uSC

— Aasim (@el_aasimo) October 20, 2021

Messi's twin strikes in the 67th and the 74th minutes not only rescued PSG from a precarious situation in the second half, but also maintained their winning record in the UEFA Champions League intact.

It also turned out to be the Argentine icon's first match where he has scored two goals for the Paris-based club. Earlier, Messi had suffered multiple setbacks upon his arrival in the French capital.

While he couldn't find his form during his initial days at the Parc de Princes, a knee injury forced him to miss out on a few games later.