In the last two Ligue 1 matches of the Parisian team at the Parc des Princes, just after the painful elimination in the Champions League round of 16 against Bayern Munich, a part of the PSG fans whistled every time they Messi’s name was announced in the lineup over the loudspeaker.
These two games also resulted in two defeats for PSG (against Rennes and Lyon) and Messi, who turns 36 in June, barely showed any signs of his genius and sometimes played walking.
The attitude of the Parisian fans, who consider Messi one of the main people responsible for the new European fiasco, contrasts with his triumphant return from the World Cup in Qatar, where he lifted the trophy he had been looking for all his career (winning on penalties against the France of Mbappé, the other great star of PSG). Everything seemed oriented towards an extension of Messi’s contract in the gala entity.
less ostentation
The truth is also that since he landed in Paris in 2021 and except for a few specific moments, the Messi who marveled for years in Barcelona has not been seen at PSG.
And, above all, Messi arrived at PSG with the aim of leading the ambitious Parisian club to the much-desired Champions League title, but both seasons ended with eliminations in the round of 16.
Like several of his teammates, the Argentine did not excel in the Champions League round of 16 tie lost a month ago against Bayern Munich (1-0/2-0).
The Qatari owners of Paris SG are well aware of the advantages of having the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner under contract. Upon his arrival in the French capital, where he was welcomed like an emperor, he helped to give Ligue 1 visibility, to increase the number of sponsors and to get PSG talked about all over the world.
But the panorama has changed and PSG is willing to modify its sports policy, around a single great star, Kylian Mbappé, a less ostentatious project and more careful with the youth system of the Parisian region, second world “producer” of professional footballers after from Sao Paulo (Brazil).