Paris Saint Germain has confirmed that Lionel Messi will finally leave the club this summer after many months of rumors of an exit.
There were rumors of an exit from January right after Messi won the World Cup. In recent months, it became apparent that he would definitely leave, with renowned journalists Gerard Romero and Fabrizio Romano confirming it. And now the club itself has confirmed the news.
The club released an official statement to confirm the departure. It said,
“After two seasons in the capital, the adventure between Leo Messi and Paris Saint-Germain will come to an end at the end of the 2022-23 financial year. The Club would like to warmly thank the seven-time Ballon d’Or, winner under the Red & Blue colors of a Champions Trophy and two French championship titles.
#MerciMessi 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/Z3pjgH9f9Z
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) June 3, 2023
Messi played his last game for the club as well yesterday. He couldn’t manage to have a goal contribution as PSG lost 3-2 to Clermont Foot.
How did Lionel Messi do at PSG?
Lionel Messi made the move to PSG in the summer of 2021, when he had to leave Barcelona on a free transfer due to financial problems at the club.
In two years’ time, Messi has 32 goals and 34 assists in 75 appearances. He has won two Ligue 1 titles and one French Cup in that time.
In the first season, Messi struggled to adapt to the new team with only 11 goals and 14 assists to show. This season, Messi has been great with 21 goals and 20 assists in all competitions for the Parisiens.
But while Messi has great statistics he has still been deemed a failure by many. That includes the PSG ultras and fans who have booed him for the past few months.
Two consecutive Rounds of 16 exits from the Champions League have led to the fans lashing out at Messi. Messi was supposed to help them lift this trophy after many years. The humiliation of getting knocked out led to Messi being on the bad books of many PSG fans.
Messi was also briefly embroiled in controversy when he missed a training session to go on vacation to Saudi Arabia. This led to him even getting a suspension from the club.
Which club will he go to next?
As the news is already official, it now remains to be seen where Messi will go next.
Saudi club Al-Hilal reportedly provided the Argentine superstar a contract for more than €400 million ($438.2 million) each season. This offer was made one month ago, though Messi did not respond to it yet. The deal could reach almost one billion dollars throughout the whole contract.
It is rumored that his father and family want him to accept the Saudi deal. Messi may not want to argue with his family, though there is no doubt he wants to return to Barcelona.
Barcelona is a strong competitor for Messi but they cannot give him a high salary. Barcelona are still struggling with financial issues and FFP regulations will make it extremely difficult for them to sign the veteran.
But it seems that Messi himself wants to return to his childhood club. The Argentine is in close contact with both manager Xavi Hernandez and even president Joan Laporta revealed he spoke with him. Fans of the club chanted Messi’s name frequently in the past few days and even now players like Pedri and Araujo expressed their desire to see him back. It was even reported that Messi was part of the title celebrations in the locker room via a video link.
