Leo Messi will be free within a month. On July 1 he will leave Paris Saint-Germain. It is already official that the Argentine star will not continue in the Parisian ranks. It was his current coach, Christophe Galtier, who made public what was an open secret: that Messi will not be in Paris in the 23-24 season.
It does not matter that PSG used the image of Messi, among other footballers, to present the shirt for the coming season. It didn’t matter that the player made a video apologizing after skipping training for a trip. There was no reconciliation even though the club forgave him a week of the harsh and unprecedented penalty he received. The paths of both, who converged in August 2021 after Barcelona informed him that they could not register him, separate. So, Leo signed for two seasons and there will be no extension.
Messi will say goodbye this Saturday to the Parque de los PrÃncipes. A part of the Parisian fans who have been systematically whistling at him since PSG were knocked out of the Champions League in March at the hands of Bayern. Something unheard of that fixation. The Argentine, who was never discredited at the Camp Nou, did not understand that he was blamed.
The Argentine has won both Ligue 1 in which he has participated, in addition to the French Super Cup 22-23. Being a PSG player, he also received the 2021 Ballon d’Or, the eighth of his career. In addition, Leo Messi was proclaimed world champion with Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar in December 2022, which earned him the distinction of The Best and Laureus awards.
“I had the privilege of coaching the best player in the history of football. Against Clermont, it will be Leo’s last game at the Parc des Princes,” announced Christophe Galtier, the PSG coach. Galtier replaced Mauricio Pochettino, Messi’s compatriot and the first coach he had in Paris, in the summer of 2022.
The Auguste Delaune stadium in Reims saw the Argentine’s debut in the PSG shirt on August 29, 2021. In the 66th minute, with the number 30 – he chose the first one he wore in his career at Barça-, he replaced Neymar. The score (0-2) no longer moved.
Saturday’s will be Messi’s 75th game with the Parisian club. In these two courses he has scored 32 goals. The last one, in Strasbourg, last week (1-1), served to certify the League title.
Once Messi’s departure from PSG is confirmed, the decision on his future opens. Barcelona dreams of his return although it is still unable to make a formal offer to the footballer, who intends to continue playing competitive football to reach the Copa América in 2024. Saudi Arabia has raised its offer, already dizzying in itself, to more 500 million for two seasons. While Inter Miami, where Leo has a house, remains on hold, in the third place. No option is ruled out.
