Lionel Messi has lived long enough to see himself become the villain at Paris Saint-Germain.
Fans of PSG, the French soccer club, gathered outside the club’s headquarters on Wednesday and unloaded on Messi with a vulgar chant. Chanting in French, their message translated as, “Messi, son of a b—h.”
Here is the video.
PSG fans outside the club's HQ chanting:
“Messi, son of a b**ch”
🎥 @CanalSupporterspic.twitter.com/ki6HpzbtcU
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) May 3, 2023
The chant was a response to the news breaking earlier in the day that the superstar forward Messi plans to leave PSG when his contract expires after the season. Leading soccer reporter Fabrizio Romano revealed the news.
🚨 Messi will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season. There are no doubts about that anymore.
Behind the scenes, it’s now understood that Leo’s father Jorge communicated the decision to PSG already one month ago due to the project.
It was the final breaking point. pic.twitter.com/Bwehuvyq1E
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 3, 2023
Telegraph Football reports that Messi’s reps are in talks with the Saudi government over a potential $400 million per year move to the Saudi Pro League. It would be the biggest contract in sports history and would pit Messi against longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who made the move to Saudi Arabia earlier this year on an over $200 million per year contract.
Messi already has ties to Saudi Arabia. He has a sponsorship deal as a Saudi ambassador and was just suspended by PSG earlier this week for making an unauthorized trip to the country. That has further fueled frustration among PSG players and their fans.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, who turns 36 in June, joined PSG in 2021 after spending the first 18 seasons of his pro career in Spain with top club FC Barcelona. Though PSG won their league last season and will likely do so again this year, they have failed to win the Coupe de France, a national cup competition, in either of Messi’s seasons with them (after winning six of the previous seven). PSG was also unable to advance past the Round of 16 in the prestigious UEFA Champions League (a competition among the best clubs in European soccer) during their two seasons with Messi.
Messi had scores of adoring fans mobbing him in his native Argentina after leading the country to victory at the World Cup this past December. But it is clearly a very different story for him right now in France (whose team Messi and Argentina defeated in the World Cup final to boot).
