- PSG president Nasser al-Khelafi denies Lionel Messi claims that the club didn’t celebrate his World Cup win, stating they did so in training and privately.
- Al-Khelafi highlights the sensitivity of celebrating Messi’s victory in France, respecting the country he defeated and his French teammates.
- It remains unclear if the lack of recognition played a role in Messi’s decision to leave PSG, but he has since joined Inter Miami where he has had a strong start.
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelafi has hit out at Lionel Messi after he slammed the club for its behaviour towards him following his World Cup win. The Argentine finally got his hands on the World Cup trophy with his country last year, but did so by beating France in the final, the country he was playing in at the time. In an interview that aired earlier this week, the 36-year-old criticised the club for their handling of his triumph and claimed he was the only player in the entire Argentina squad who wasn’t celebrated by his team for the victory afterwards.
Things between PSG and Messi ended on a sour note and his time in France as a whole felt a bit underwhelming. Sure, they won the league title in both of his years at the club, but considering the talent they had at their disposal, they massively underachieved. Rumours of tension with between superstar teammates soon emerged and this summer both Messi and Neymar departed for pastures new, leaving Kylian Mbappe there.
In an interview with Olga TV, Messi spoke about his experience in France and admitted that while he didn’t play too well for PSG in his first year, he was glad to have made the move and wouldn’t have changed a thing as it was while playing for the side that he won the World Cup. He did hit out at them, though, for their lack of recognition towards him when he won the big one, something all of his teammates receive and now the PSG president, Nasser al-Khelafi has spoken out about the comments.
What did the PSG president say?
Al-Khelafi wasted no time responding to Messi’s interview and was quick to refute claims that they hadn’t celebrated him following his World Cup victory. Speaking to RMC Sport, he said: “As everyone saw, because we even published a video, we celebrated Messi in training, and we also celebrated him in private.”
He does have a point too, as there was footage released of the club paying tribute to Messi in training, but the Argentine clearly feels they didn’t really do enough for him in comparison to what his teammates received from their respective clubs.
He was quick to point out, though, the circumstances surrounding the former Barcelona star’s triumph and the awkwardness that came with it, saying: “But with respect, we are a French club. It was of course sensitive to celebrate at the stadium. We must respect the country he defeated, his teammates on the France team, and our supporters too.”
Whether it played a role in Messi’s decision to leave PSG or not is unclear, but the 36-year-old didn’t remain at the club for long after the World Cup. He left France this summer and made the switch to Inter Miami where things have gotten off to a strong start and will hopefully lead to a much more positive and harmonious working relationship going forward. Despite the issues that seemed to exist during his time in Ligue 1, though, Messi did have a couple of solid seasons at PSG, as the table of his stats below demonstrates.
| Lionel Messi’s PSG stats | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 34 | 11 | 14 |
| 2022/23 | 41 | 21 | 16 |
| Total | 75 | 32 | 30 |
