LIONEL MESSI. Lionel Messi has been suspended by Paris-Saint-Germain due to a trip to Saudi Arabia. The Argentinian, who inherited a very fine contract, is the ambassador of Saudi tourism.
Lionel Messi sanctioned by PSG and probably on the way out? The information, broadcast by several media including RMC and Le Parisien this Wednesday, had the effect of a bomb. While he is in trouble with the club’s management and a departure seems to have been looming for several weeks, the world champion would have angered Paris-Saint-Germain for leaving, on the sly, for Saudi Arabia on Monday 1st. May, the day after a bitter defeat for the Parisians against Lorient, at the Parc des Princes.
Lionel Messi would have taken a trip to Saudi Arabia without notifying the club, headlined several press headlines this morning, even though training was scheduled at Camp des Loges on Monday. The reason for the trip: to fulfill its role of ambassador for tourism in the Kingdom. The Gulf country has indeed hired Lionel Messi and another Argentinian world champion and ex-PSG midfielder, Leandro Paredes, with an XXL contract of around 30 million euros with the aim of promoting the image of the countries in the world.
Messi, luxury visitor to Saudi Arabia
Since the signing of this lucrative contract in May 2022, Lionel Messi has been personally involved in this role of ambassador. For example, he published on his social networks the day before the defeat against Lorient, Sunday April 29 (3-1), a photo of a green landscape. “Who would have thought there was so much green in Saudi Arabia? I like to explore its unexpected wonders whenever I can,” he wrote in his post. Under the “Visit Saudi” brand and on the website of theTourist Office Saudi, an entire page is devoted to the visits of the footballer. We see Lionel Messi in the car, in the desert or in a palace. The world champion is used by the Kingdom to highlight the “must sees” and “essential experiences” that the country offers.
Last year, the player had already surprised everyone by announcing the partnership with Saudi Arabia. A contract all the more surprising when you know the rivalry – political, tourist and even sporting – which can exist between the Qataris, owners of PSG and the Saudis.
The impromptu trip made by Lionel Messi in any case aroused the wrath of PSG, which sanctioned him for two weeks, instantly depriving him of the next two Ligue 1 matches scheduled against Troyes (May 7) and Ajaccio (May 13). Part of his salary will also not be distributed, reports BFMTV. PSG is also very unhappy with this incident because the best passer in the Championship missed training on Monday May 1.
Messi’s journey, bravado or ‘misunderstanding’
Neither the staff nor Lionel Messi’s teammates would have been informed of this trip, nor Luis Campos, the director of PSG. Coach Christophe Galtier was also unaware of this little escapade which is not the first. The Argentinian was also seen in Catalonia last week, reviving rumors of an upcoming return to Barcelona, the club of his glory. These decisions come moreover at the end of a delicate season and when his contract is about to end. Lionel Messi’s future in Paris is increasingly uncertain.
PSG number 30 nevertheless tried to justify himself. According to his entourage, Messi would have asked the club for permission to travel to Saudi Arabia. He would also have previously canceled two round trips to the Kingdom. Without an answer, he would have believed himself free to board a plane for a few days of absence.
Saudi Arabia actually has real ambitions in football and intends to use the “Messi” showcase to welcome and become the second Gulf country to receive a world Cup, after… Qatar. The country is a candidate for the 2030 edition. Its image has already improved with Cristiano Ronaldo who evolves in the club of Al-Nassr. Saudi Arabia now dreams of attracting the Argentinian with a contract that will undoubtedly be extraordinary.
Biography of Lionel Messi
A brilliant career at Barça
Argentinian by birth, Lionel Messi touched his first balls at Grandioli FC, the club where his father trained. Between 1994 and 2000, it was with the formation of Newell’s Old Boys that he continued his training as a footballer, managing to be spotted in Europe. It was FC Barcelona who set their sights on the then 13-year-old player.
Year after year, Lionel Messi asserts himself within the Catalan club: Barça junior, Barça C, Barça B… then the great Barça, with whom he started on October 16, 2004, during a derby against Espanyol de Barcelona. A real fairy tale then begins: 17 seasons with the Blaugranas, 778 games, 672 goals, records and titles galore… Messi becomes the idol of Camp Nou and the world of football, obsessed with his rivalry with a another big name of the moment: Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ten Spanish championships with Barça, four Champions Leagues, three Club World Cups or seven King’s Cups, the Spanish Cup… the story is idyllic and allowed him to win, during those years, six golden balls, including four consecutively. If he seemed forever linked to Barça, Messi finally had to change his shirt. In the summer of 2021, Barcelona can no longer afford the salary of the Pulga. Exit the red and blue of the Catalan club, hello red and blue… of Paris Saint-Germain.
A final challenge with PSG
Lionel Messi joins PSG on Tuesday August 10, 2021. This is a huge blow for the Parisian club which is entering a new era with the arrival of the Argentinian. Messi quickly finds his place in the game system and continues the matches, even if he is less decisive than with Barça. Nevertheless, the attacking trio formed with Mbappe and Neymar shakes many Ligue 1 defenses.
Coming with the aim of turning PSG over in the Champions League, Lionel Messi cannot prevent the capital club from being eliminated in the round of 16 of the 2021-2022 edition against real Madrid then the next edition against Bayern Munich. In the meantime, he will have lifted the World Cup after a final as spectacular as it is brutal against his teammate Kilian Mbappé and the France team.
Turmoil and glory with Argentina
After Maradona, Argentina therefore inherited another footballing genius in the person of Lionel Messi. But if the 2022 World Cup brought La Pulga the last title that was missing from its list, the weather has not always been good with the selection. There have been many meetings where the striker has not shone and displayed a level of play below his performance with Barça. The differences in context between daily club life and international periods have often been felt, even if Messi has always displayed a certain efficiency.
His skill in front of goal will nevertheless allow Lionel Messi to score 98 goals against his opponents in the Albiceleste jersey, making it the national record holder. Unhappy finalist of the World Cup in 2014 and the Copa America three times, Messi had to wait until 2021 to triumph with Argentina, during the Copa America, before being crowned world champion in 2022 in Qatar. Also note a coronation at the 2008 Olympics.
What is Lionel Messi’s salary?
Paris Saint-Germain had to take out the checkbook to attract the planetary star to its ranks. According to the Spanish journalist Guillem Balague, author of a biography on the Argentine number 10, Lionel Messi would receive 30 million euros net per year at PSG.