It was expected and it is now official: after two seasons in Paris, the psg and Lionel Messi will separate their paths at the end of the match that they lost 3-2 this Saturday at the Princes Park 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, a chapter of Messi’s two years in Paris will close, with few flashes of brilliance and, above all, marked by the two fiascos 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 and scorer 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 the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who also lifted a Trophée des Champions and two Ligue 1 titles with the club,” PSG highlighted in its farewell statement.
“Thanks to the club, the city of Paris and its people for these two years, I wish them the best in the future”declared the Argentine, quoted in the text.
No Champions League
Arriving like a hero in Paris in the boreal summer of 2021 from Barcelona, Messi will have made 75 appearances for the French club, scoring 32 goals and providing 35 assists… but he will leave without having been able to give the Parisian club its great goal: the Champions League.
“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”, inThe club persisted 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 headed for a renewal by PSG, both parties 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.” estimated the president of PSG 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 for the Argentine in Paris, since although the ‘Flea’ had a great season until the World Cup break, after Qatar his performance decreased .
According to the statistics, after the World Cup Messi finished less, shot less between the sticks and touched fewer balls, especially inside the box.
Before Qatar, Messi scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists in 19 games. Later, he only scored 9 goals and gave 6 goal assists in 21 games. Against Clermont he also left empty.
Beyond the numbers, the second part of the season resulted in two painful eliminations: in the Champions League round of 16 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.
The arrival of Messi 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.
Source: AFP
Source: Gestion
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