— It seems that the relationship between Lionel Messi and the fans of Paris Saint-Germain was hopelessly broken last Sunday, during a defeat against Lyon in which the Argentine star was booed.
Messi joined PSG on a two-year deal after leaving Barcelona against his will in 2021. The deal with the French club included the option of an additional year if both parties so wished.
But according to various reports, the talks are broken and Messi’s departure will be inevitable this summer.
Hopes were high that Messi could lead PSG to the Champions League title the club has never been able to win in history. Instead, the Qatari investor-backed side were knocked out in the round of 16 in consecutive seasons.
The Argentine star was among the players booed last season after PSG lost to Real Madrid. And while Messi’s form looked phenomenal at the start of this campaign, it dropped off significantly after his brilliant performance in leading Argentina to the World Cup title in Qatar.
Christophe Galtier, the PSG coach, defended Messi, saying that there are other players who should raise their level.
“You can’t expect Leo to do everything,” Galtier said after the match against Lyon. “The boos are very severe. He is a player who gives everything, he gave a lot in the first half of the season. But he also depends on others to keep improving ”.
Since its host of figures returned from the World Cup, PSG have lost eight games in 2023.
Other team members have been worse than Messi. However, fans seem to mainly blame the Argentine idol for the club’s alarmingly poor level of play, perhaps sensing that his excellent previous form was motivated solely by his interest in winning the World Cup, something he achieved as the tournament’s best player. .
PSG fans are also unhappy about the fact that Messi rarely gives them a round of applause after games.
The Argentine has been a rather distant figure since last month, when PSG were knocked out 3-0 on aggregate by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
If the next nine rounds of the French league are Messi’s last games with PSG, here are some possible future destinations for the Argentine.
AGAIN MESSI VS. CHRISTIAN?
In 2018, when Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid, the most fascinating rivalry between two players in modern football history came to an end. After several years of competing for supremacy with Messi and Barcelona, the Portuguese star moved to Juventus.
Cristiano now plays in Saudi Arabia for Al Nassr in Riyadh, and speculation has grown that Messi could also head to the Middle East to play for rival Al Hilal, which is set to offer a record salary.
Messi played against Cristiano in January, when PSG faced a team of Al Nassr and Al Hilal in Riyadh in a friendly.
The arrival of the Portuguese has given more projection to Saudi football. Having Messi on would enhance that effect as the nation prepares to host the Club World Cup for the first time, in December.
RETURN TO BARCELONA?
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández played alongside Messi when the Catalan team dominated European football under Pep Guardiola.
Xavi insisted this week that he would be happy if Messi returned to the club for which he scored 672 goals, including 50 in the 2012 campaign and a remarkable 133 in 2012 and 2013.
Messi also won four Champions League trophies at Barcelona.
“It’s his house, I would be the first to be happy about his return… If he wants to go back and has that will, we will have to talk,” said Xavi. “It does not depend on me, it depends on his happiness. If he makes the decision to return, we will listen to him. He will be the first to add so that he returns to Barça ”.
Within 10 minutes of the Copa del Rey match that Real Madrid beat Barcelona on Wednesday, fans at the Camp Nou began chanting Messi’s name.
The president of Barça, Joan Laporta, is inclined to bring the Argentine back. However, the team that leads the Spanish League is drowning in debt and faces an investigation for payments of millions of dollars to a company linked to a leader of Spanish referees.
REUNITED WITH GUARDIOLA?
In 2021, when he was forced to leave Barcelona, Messi was linked with a move to Manchester City, to reunite with his old mentor Guardiola.
But Guardiola already has a productive goalscorer, Erling Haaland, and a creative boss, Kevin de Bruyne, among other midfielders who generate plays.
Messi earns 40 million euros (43.6 million dollars) per season with PSG. Abu Dhabi-backed City could pay what is required, especially if they recruit the player for a single campaign.
But Messi would be reaching the Premier League, with a lot of wear and tear and physical friction, at the age of 36.
ADVENTURE IN THE MLS?
The physical demands would be less in MLS. Inter Miami could be a destination if Messi decides to follow the example of David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who both played in the United States.
Beckham-owned Inter Miami may not be able to match the Saudi offer. But according to the British newspaper The Independent, an alternative would be to give Messi a stake in the club’s shares.
