It was expected and now it’s official: after two seasons in Paris, PSG and Lionel Messi will part ways at the end of the match they are playing this Saturday at the Parc des Princes against Clermont, in which he was whistled again by the Parisian fans.
With the departure of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who will turn 36 at the end of June, will close a two-year chapter of Messi in Paris, with few flashes of brilliance and, above all, marked by the two failures in the Champions League.
The divorce already seemed inevitable when, given the lack of results in Europe and a dwindling performance, the Paris SG fans even whistled for the Argentine, as happened again this Saturday, in his 75th game with the PSG shirt, in the one that came out of the headline.
After announcing the farewell to Sergio Ramos on Friday, also a starter against Clermont, and awaiting the possible departure, according to the French press, of coach Christophe Galtier, PSG made Messi’s departure official through a statement headed with the phrase “Thank you Leo!”
“The club extends its warmest thanks to seven-time Ballon d’Or winnerwho also lifted a Trophée des Champions and two Ligue 1 titles with the club,” PSG said in their farewell statement.
“Thanks to the club, to the city of Paris and its people for these two yearsI wish you the best in the future“, declared the Argentine, quoted in the text.
– No Champions League –
Arriving like a hero in Paris in the summer of 2021 from Barcelona, Messi will have played 75 appearances with the French clubscoring 32 goals and giving 35 assists… but he will leave it without having been able to give the Parisian club its great goal: the Champions League.
“The Paris Saint-Germain is proud to have counted among its ranks the best footballer of all time and wishes Leo many more successes in the rest of his career,” the club insisted in its statement.
The soap opera about Messi’s future has been going on for several months, with several changes of situation. If initially, at the end of last year, just before the World Cup, everything seemed aimed at a renewal by PSGboth sides drifted apart as the season progressed.
The Argentine’s promotional trip to Saudi Arabia at the beginning of May, not authorized by the club, sealed the divorce, even leading the entity to suspend the player’s employment and salary for a few days.
“His contribution to Paris Saint-Germain and Ligue 1 cannot be underestimated and we wish Leo and his family all the best for the future,” said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi in the entity’s statement.
Curiously, the world title in Doha, the greatest achievement of Messi’s career, marked the beginning of the end of the Argentine in Parissince although until the World Cup break the ‘Flea’ had a great season, after Qatar his performance decreased.
According to the statistics, after the World Cup Messi finished less, shot less between sticks and touched fewer balls, especially inside the area.
Before Qatar, Messi scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists in 19 games. Afterwards, he only scored 9 goals and gave 6 assists in 21 games (in the absence of what he can do against Clermont).
Beyond the numbers, the second part of the season ended with two painful eliminations: in the round of 16 of the Champions League against Bayern Munich and in the French Cup against their great rival, Olympique de Marseille. And a record of defeats: nine in 28 games played counting all competitions.
– A successful business –
For the romantics there will be some flashes such as his goal against Manchester City in the autumn of 2021, the free kick he scored at the last second to give the victory against Lille (4-3) on February 19, or the goal that was the 1-1 against Strasbourg that gave PSG the Ligue 1 title this season.
But when it comes to taking stock of his Parisian period, the signing of Messi has been more of a business than a sporting success for PSG.
Messi’s arrival led to the arrival of new sponsors and the image of PSG has taken on a global dimension with the Argentine, especially in Asia.
Sale of shirts, advertising contracts, media impact and rising ticket prices to the Parque de los Príncipes also allowed PSG to increase its income.
Despite everything, the club now seems to have decided to give priority to the sporting aspect over the economic one, with a new project around Kylian Mbappé and without so much ‘glamour’ around it.