This week’s topic of conversation revolves around the latest swipe by Lionel Messi toward Paris Saint-Germain. Messi stated in a recent interview that he was the only player from the 2022 FIFA World Cup-winning Argentina squad not to be celebrated.
The president of PSG, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has spoken out and revealed that the team congratulated Messi internally. The club chief believes it would be insensitive to celebrate the accomplishment so soon after France’s defeat.
As a result, former PSG midfielder and Argentine Javier Pastore understands why the capital club publicly celebrated the accomplishment at the Parc des Princes.
“I didn’t talk about it with him, but that’s normal; it was something difficult to celebrate a world champion in a country that lost the final,” Pastore told RMC Sport. “It meant a lot for the club not to not do something important so as not to accentuate a bad moment for France and for players from Paris who played for France.
“Afterwards, each player can think what he wants. Honestly, I don’t know everything that happened at PSG in the last two years because I wasn’t there. I wasn’t Messi’s teammate. I don’t know. It’s something between the club and the player.”
For Messi to say he wasn’t celebrated isn’t accurate, and even the 36-year-old knew that any type of celebration would’ve been awkward for the club and those in attendance.
ESPN FC’s Frank Leboeuf was confused about why the Argentine wanted PSG to celebrate him at the Parc des Princes. Messi wouldn’t have had the best reaction since the majority in attendance would be French.
