‘In Paris, I wasn’t good’ – Lionel Messi reflects on bad memories at PSG | OneFootball

Since leaving Paris Saint-Germain last summer on a free transfer, Lionel Messi (36) has been repeatedly vocal about his unhappiness at the club.

In his two seasons with Les Parisiens, he won the Ligue 1 title, however, the club got no closer to its major objective: winning the UEFA Champions League. His time at PSG came to an end at the end of the 2022/23 season. Rumours of a contract extension were rife at the time, however, an unsanctioned trip to the Middle East towards the end of the campaign put paid to his time in the French capital. The striker was sanctioned by the club and the relationship soured.

Unhappiness affected Messi’s performances at PSG

Upon the expiry of his contract, he joined Inter Miami. As Messi told ESPN in an exclusive interview, the MLS side will be the final club of his career. In the interview, the Argentinian reflected on his time with PSG. “I have nothing against them but unfortunately, it didn’t go as I had hoped. Personally, I struggled with the change; it was very difficult fo us. It really affected me personally,” said Messi, who once again stated that it wasn’t his choice to depart Barcelona. The move was forced due to the La Liga side’s financial situation.

He also shared a negative anecdote about life in Paris: “In Paris, the [neighbours] knocked on the door at nine or ten o’clock in the evening to say that my kids shouldn’t be playing football. The neighbours bothered us […] it played a lot on my mind and that had an affect on the pitch. In Paris, on a personal level, I wasn’t good,” he said.

He does, however, have one good memory from his time at PSG, not that it had anything to do with the club. “When I was in Paris, the best thing that happened to me was becoming World Champion (with Argentina),” said Messi. Not a resounding endorsement of the club at which he spent two seasons.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle