Paris Saint-Germain formalized on Saturday the departure at the end of the season of its striker Lionel Messi after two years in the capital. Parisian coach Christophe Galtier, who will also leave the club at the end of the current exercise, had already confirmed this at a press conference on Thursday.
Messi, 35, plays Saturday night against Clermont (9:00 p.m.) his last match with PSG, on the last day of Ligue 1. His contract expired at the end of June.
“The club would like to warmly thank the seven-time Ballon d’Or, winner under the Red and Blue colors of a Champions Trophy and two French championship titles,” wrote PSG in a press release. “Thank you to the club, to the city of Paris and to its inhabitants for these two years. I wish them the best for the future, ”reacted the Argentinian in the PSG press release.
32 goals in 74 games
Arrived with great fanfare in 2021 from FC Barcelona, Messi played 74 games with the Parisian club, scoring 32 goals and delivering 35 assists. But he will not have been able to guide Paris towards its ultimate goal, the Champions League.
“Paris Saint-Germain is proud to have been able to count the best player in history in its ranks and wishes, with certain emotion, many other successes for Leo for the rest of his career”, writes the club again. Parisian.
Long soap opera
The soap opera on the future of “La Pulga” had stretched since the end of 2022, with several twists and turns. Initially confident for an extension, the two camps gradually moved away.
The Argentinian’s promotional trip to Saudi Arabia in early May, unauthorized by the club, had formalized the divorce, PSG even suspending its player for a few days.
“His contribution to Paris Saint-Germain and Ligue 1 cannot be underestimated and we wish Leo and his family all the best for the future,” said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.