Paris Saint-Germain is on its way to the French men’s football championship again. PSG defeated Ajaccio 5-0 on Saturday and leads the French Ligue 1 main series by six points over second-placed RC Lens. There are three full rounds of matches left in the league season.
Although PSG is on its way to its 11th championship, making it the club that has won the most championships in the professional era of the main league, it has not been an easy season. The team’s game has struggled throughout the season and its supporters have harshly criticized the club’s weak performances.
Particular criticism was caused by its relegation from the Champions League, despite PSG’s big investments in Europe’s biggest club tournament.
The ultra fans, who mainly create the atmosphere in PSG’s matches at the stadium, announced last week that they will boycott their club’s matches due to recent events.
For these events, the ultras calculate PSG’s grips on the field, the club’s chairman Nasser Al-Khelaif the inability to listen to the club’s supporters and Lionel Messi’s The development of the migration saga related to Saudi Arabia. In addition to the men’s games, the supporters plan to boycott the matches of the women’s national team and the men’s handball team.
Argentinian legend Messi also got to hear his praise from the fans against Ajaccio. PSG’s ultra-supporters, who had already insulted Messi in the season’s matches, were absent from the Stade de France stadium, but most of the match’s spectators booed and whistled at the Argentinian whenever he touched the ball.
Messi’s flirtation with Saudi Arabia has inflamed his relationship with both the French club and especially its supporters.
When will the contract be created, or has it already been created?
The biggest recent rift between Messi and PSG was caused by the star’s unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia. Messi did not show up for his team’s training in the first week of May after the losing match against Lorient. He had instead traveled to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
PSG resolved the issue by suspending their star for two weeks, which also meant the Argentine missed two French league games. Messi, on the other hand, publicly apologized for his departure to the club and his teammates after his trip. He claimed he thought the day after the Lorient game was free and said he couldn’t cancel the arranged trip.
According to the French newspaper L’Equipe, the head coach of PSG Christophe Galtier had asked the players to have Monday and Tuesday off if the team beat Lorient. Messi had already postponed his trip twice and planned to travel to Saudi Arabia as soon as the team had two days off.
Messi came back and talked to his club about his trip.
– I’m still not going to comment on his sanctions, just like no one else. It was a pleasure to have Leo back with us and he has shown great desire while training with the team, PSG head coach Galtier commented at the press conference before Saturday’s match.
However, contract negotiations have been considered the most important reason for Messi’s trip. It has been reported in several media that Messi received an offer worth hundreds of millions of euros from Al-Hilal, which plays in the main league of Saudi Arabia. The Argentine’s contract with PSG expires at the end of this season and he has been reported to be looking for a new club for a long time.
Messi has close relations with Saudi Arabia. In 2021, he signed a contract worth several million euros with Saudi Arabia, becoming the official advertising face of the Gulf state.
At the beginning of the past week, the news agency AFP reported for sure that Messi would have signed a contract with Al-Hilal for the coming season. Messi’s father Jorgewho acts as the star’s manager, denied the claims.
The Saudis are a stone in the shoe for PSG and Argentina
Messi’s negotiations and PSG’s inappropriate visit to Saudi Arabia are difficult for the Parisians in many ways. PSG is owned by the state of Qatar and Saudi Arabia is one of the country’s fiercest rivals. Both countries have made great use of sports underwear and are currently benefiting from Messi as well.
Messi’s opposite pair is also currently playing in the main league of Saudi Arabia Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese’s transfer to the Kingdom’s soccer league has not been successful in terms of games, but according to media reports, it will bring Ronaldo more than 200 million euros for 2.5 years of the contract.
Messi’s home country Argentina is also in a difficult position because of the superstar’s contracts with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has said that it is aiming to host the 2030 World Cup together with Egypt and Greece. At the same time, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile are applying to host the same games.
When the fight for hosting the tournament intensifies, Messi, one of the world’s greatest footballers of all time, is between two fires. The legend who brought the World Cup gold to Argentina during the search for a host match harnessed against the application process of his home country.
Of the parties, the Saudi Arabians have already enthusiastically welcomed Messi.
– When Messi and Ronaldo played together in the Spanish league, it was one of the best leagues in the world. So if this deal goes through, the competition will be fierce. The eyes of the whole world will then be on the Saudi league, one Al-Hilal supporter says in an interview with the news agency Reuters.
In Argentina, on the other hand, one would hope for the country’s great hero to return to Spain and FC Barcelona.
– I think it would be good for him to end his career there. I think that would be ideal. But, what do I know? An Argentinian fan interviewed in Buenos Aires commented.
For PSG supporters, on the other hand, Messi has remained a kind of disgrace. He has not been considered committed to the club in the same way as he was to Barcelona. Messi has become an example for supporters of what has gone wrong at the club. In their opinion, it has only focused on securing superstars and has not built a truly competitive team.