Lionel Messi’s Relationship with Paris St-Germain Fans “Fractured”
Lionel Messi, the Argentinian football star who won the World Cup in December, has revealed that his relationship with Paris St-Germain fans “fractured” after a “significant” number of supporters started to treat him differently. Messi left PSG at the end of last season after two years and has since joined Inter Miami.
In an interview with beIN Sports, Messi said: “I think in the beginning it was something wonderful. But then some people started to treat me differently, a part of the Paris supporters. I think the vast majority still see me and treat me as they did at the beginning, but there was a fracture with a significant group of the Paris fans, which obviously wasn’t my intention, far from it.”
Messi was booed by some PSG fans after being suspended for an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia, and again during his final match for the Ligue 1 champions. He said he did not know if Argentina beating France in the World Cup final was a factor.
Adapting to Life in Paris
Messi also said he found it “very difficult” to adapt to life in Paris on and off the pitch following his 2021 move from Barcelona, having missed pre-season and then later having a month out mid-season with Covid. In contrast, he said he felt “very comfortable” at the start of his second season at Parc des Princes but the mid-season winter World Cup “affected the whole season for everyone”.
Achievements and Records
In winning the World Cup – Argentina’s first in 36 years – Messi added football’s biggest prize to a list of trophies that includes a record seven Ballon d’Or titles – awarded to the best footballer each year – four Champions Leagues, one Copa America, 10 La Liga titles with Barcelona and two Ligue 1 crowns with PSG. In May, he broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for the most goals scored in Europe’s top five leagues and, to date, has scored a combined 807 goals for club and country.
Messi said his individual achievements were secondary to those won with his teams, though he did concede they were “nice recognitions”. He said: “I achieved the most important goal I had, which was to win the World Cup with my national team and it was something extraordinary, the way everything happened. I never thought about individual awards and I never gave them more importance than the collective awards. To have achieved the objectives with the Argentina national team and to have achieved everything at an individual level, at a team level, for me it is to close an extraordinary career.”
Conclusion
Lionel Messi’s relationship with Paris St-Germain fans has been strained due to a “significant” number of supporters treating him differently. He has since left PSG and joined Inter Miami, but his time in Paris was marked by difficulty adapting to life on and off the pitch. Despite this, Messi has achieved an extraordinary career, winning football’s biggest prize – the World Cup – as well as seven Ballon d’Or titles, four Champions Leagues, one Copa America, 10 La Liga titles and two Ligue 1 crowns. He has also broken Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for the most goals scored in Europe’s top five leagues.