Lionel Messi leaves PSG and speculation about his future begins

The golden ball left the French team on Saturday, June 3, against Clermont (3-2).

“I would like to thank the club, the city of Paris and its people for these two years. I wish you all the best for the future,” said the Argentine along with his wife and children.

Despite the fact that the fans of the Paris Saint-Germain knew that it was his last game with the Parisian team, they booed the Argentine player when the announcer from the Parque de los Príncipes read his name.

Minutes later, Messi walked onto the field with a smile on his face, holding the hands of his three sons before the team photo and kissing them on the forehead before kick-off.

Messi struggled to get on the scoreboard on the last day of the French league: he had a shot on goal in the 14th minute, which was saved by Clermont goalkeeper Mory Diaw.

PSG took a 2-0 lead with a header from Sergio Ramos at 16” and a penalty from Mbappé at 21”; but Clermont equalized before half time with goals from Johan Gatien and Mehdi Zeffane.

In minute 31” Messi hit the ball and twisted a free kick over the crossbar at minute 42”.

A disinterested Kylian Mbappé made a solo run in the 54th minute to get past Messi, who shot over the bar. Five minutes later, at 59”, ‘La Pulga’, he found the net, but Diaw turned his low shot around the post, who also denied Messi again in stoppage time, firing a free kick.

Clermont’s Grejohn Kyei scored the winner by converting a cross in the 63rd minute.

After the final whistle, Messi hugged his teammates and shook hands with the Clermont players, ignored the whistles against him and waved goodbye with a smile.

The trip that caused the divorce

The beginning of the deterioration of relations with the club occurred last month when Messi allowed himself an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia.

Although the Argentine has a commercial contract to promote tourism in that country, PSG, backed by Qatar, was uncomfortable with the gesture and suspended the player from some games.

At the time, some sports commentators and analysts called the gesture “a shame” for Qatar. Others, like Le 10 Sport, attributed it to the fact that he skipped a club training session without authorization.

And although the sports star’s contract expires on June 30, both parties point out that there will be no extension to it.

“If the club had wanted to renew his contract, it would have done so earlier,” an anonymous source from the club told AFP in early May.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has been linked, by Arab media such as the Saudi Gazettawith a possible move to a Saudi club where he could earn more money than Ronaldo.

Inter Miami is another possible option, but could not match the Saudi offer of the 400 million dollars per year that it offers Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, despite the fact that, with the United States team, he would be the best paid player in the American League.

On the other hand, the discontent of the fans also affected him. Among the stands it is rumored that Messi lowered his performance since he helped Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar. The negative perception increased after the elimination of PSG in the round of 16 of the Champions League. The Parisians expected a better performance and not a premature exit from the competition.

Paris says goodbye to ‘La Pulga’

On Twitter, PSG paid tribute to the Argentine star: “Paris Saint-Germain is proud to have been able to count on the best player in history in its ranks and wishes, with some emotion, many more successes for Leo for the rest of his career.”

In a statement, the sports team also expressed: “The club would like to warmly thank the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, under the red and blue colors of a Champions Trophy and two French champion titles.”

“Thanks to the club, to the city of Paris and to its inhabitants for these two years. I wish them the best for the future”, The Argentine replied in the PSG statement.

“His contribution to Paris Saint-Germain and Ligue 1 cannot be underestimated and we wish Leo and his family all the best for the future,” PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi said.

The step of Messi by the PSG

In two seasons at the Paris club, Messi made 74 appearances for the Parisian club, winning two French leagues, the French Champions Trophy and scoring 32 goals and 35 assists in all competitions.

Also, ‘La Pulga’ scored in a 1-1 draw in Strasbourg a week ago to help PSG to a record 11 French league titles.

With the accumulated of 496 goals, the Argentine genius also broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s goalscoring record for Europe’s top five leagues.

“Yes, it is true that I feel very good. The first year, I needed a bit of time to adapt to Paris for different reasons, but I started this season in a very different way, with a lot of desire. I feel more comfortable with the club, with the city, with everything that Paris means. And the truth is that I’m enjoying this season a lot”, Messi said to the club website on March 6 of this year.

With Reuters, AP and local media,