Lionel Messi’s future has been lying away from Paris Saint-Germain for some time but it was only confirmed on the eve of the French champions’ final Ligue 1 game by now dismissed former head coach Christophe Galtier. The 35-year-old FIFA World Cup winner signed off at Parc des Princes with a second Championnat crown but Messi and PSG’s shared major objective of UEFA Champions League success was a disaster and there were no Coupe de France triumphs either.
In fact, the former Barcelona man’s Ligue 1 count was 100% with two from a possible two, but that was negated by two straight UCL round of 16 exits which represented regression after runners-up and semifinal appearances as well as back-to-back Coupe de France eliminations. Messi, as we know, is now taking his talents to Miami and Major League Soccer and goes to the U.S. as a world champion with Argentina, but his time with PSG — despite some good moments — did not suggest that he would be rolling back to years in Europe any further.
We look at the means reasons why Messi in Paris was every bit as difficult as his post-Barca career was expected to be.
1. World Cup win at PSG’s expense
The big success of Messi’s time with PSG actually came away from club duty and did significant damage to Les Parisiens’ season — although it did benefit the Qatari owners’ World Cup. Argentina came out on top against France in the 2022 final and Messi finally got the international success that his legend has long coveted. When the next World Cup kicks off in 2026 and is joint-hosted by the U.S. it will be with Messi as one of the defending champions unless he retires from Albiceleste duty. Meanwhile, PSG are left picking up the pieces after Messi and Neymar’s campaigns effectively ended upon return from Qatar which Galtier’s men never recovered from.
2. Mauricio Pochettino and Christophe Galtier differences
Had Messi stayed with PSG for one more year,…
