PSG chief defends controversial Lionel Messi decision that prevented backlash
Nasser Al-Khelaifi has defended PSG's decision not to honour Lionel Messi after his World Cup triumph.
The Argentine led his country to global glory last winter, ending their 36-year wait for a World Cup victory as they saw off France in the final in Qatar. Les Bleus were aiming to defend their crown but a Kylian Mbappe hat-trick wasn't enough to stop Messi and co lifting the trophy.
The former PSG star, whose two-year spell in Paris ended back in the summer, was aggrieved that his achievement did not receive more attention from his club. “I was the only player of the (squad) that didn’t get a (club) recognition,” Messi told ESPN.
Al-Khelaifi, however, has stood by the club's stance, maintaining that as a French outfit they could not be seen to glorify the success of a team who had beaten France, which could've seen the Parc des Princes turn against Messi.
He told RMC Sport : "If anyone talks about the fact that we didn't celebrate him enough after he won the World Cup, we're in France and he won against [France and PSG star] Kylian (Mbappe). We are a French club. I don't want the whole stadium to be against him either."
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Messi has since moved to Inter Miami and is likely to see out his career in the MLS. His stint in Paris didn't go as planned with the club unable to capture the Champions League title they crave with both the managers he played under losing their jobs.
The Argentine joined PSG after his Barcelona exit, which he didn't want, but La Liga finances forced upon the Catalans meant they had to cut ties. Al-Khelaifi has suggested that Messi's failure to hit the heights expected was due to the environment, which wasn't tailored completed for him.
PSG's President chose not to recognise Lionel Messi's World Cup success on French soil"I'm going to say one thing about Messi, the best player in the world and the best player in history," said the PSG chief. "It was not easy for him to come here... After Barcelona. There [in Barcelona], everything was for Messi: the players, the coaches, and the management. He comes here and it's not the same thing, we also have other players, we have Kylian and also Neymar."
PSG, following the departures of Messi and Neymar in the same summer, have attempted to get away from the Galactico philosophy that saw them boast a star-studded line-up which ultimately underdelivered. Luis Enrique is at the helm with the club still in the hunt of European honours and top of Ligue 1.
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