Lionel Messi’s contract situation at PSG

Lionel Messi’s time at Paris Saint Germain has been less than stellar, not only in terms of performances but also in terms of his relationship with the club. His current contract situation is another example of this.

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The Argentinian superstar signed for the Parisian club in the summer of 2021 as a free agent after a lot of issues with his contract at FC Barcelona. PSG have always strived to win the UEFA Champions League since the Qatari ownership started back in 2011 and thought that a triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar Jr. could do the trick.

Sadly, that hasn’t happened.

While Messi has helped the club win the Ligue 1 title in his first season and seems poised to do so again, the reality is that the team has struggled massively in the Champions League yet again. After a massive meltdown against Real Madrid last season in the round of 16, they lost yet again in this stage of the competition this season against Bayern Munich, with all the players involved failing to perform.

This isn’t solely Messi’s fault, of course, but it has led to the supporters of Paris Saint Germain losing a connection with the Argentinian. And perhaps there is an argument to be made that there was never a connection and this situation only cemented this stance.

Regardless, PSG recently lost against Rennes 2-0 and this was viewed as a bit of a breaking point for many of the PSG faithful. The supporters jeered Messi after the final whistle and his relationship with the fans seems to be broken. There was also a report of Messi storming out of a recent training session due to not agreeing with the methods of manager Christophe Galtier, which has also added fuel to the fire.

Be that as it may, all of this has played a big role in the superstar’s current contract situation. After his success in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and a decent comeback with PSG, everything seem rosy and a lot of news outlets were reporting that Messi was going to extend his contract with his Parisian club for a couple of more years, but that tune seems to have changed greatly in recent days.

Now it seems that all parties involved don’t want to continue with this union. The Paris Saint Germain hierarchy seems to believe that Messi’s relationship with the supporters is broken and they are eager to make radical changes in order to achieve their Champions League goals. On the other hand, Messi is less than delighted with his treatment at the Parisian club and could be more than willing to pack his bags to go to another club.

PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi on the contracts of Leo Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Sergio Ramos: “We are working to keep all of them”, told Marca 🔴🔵 #PSG

“We are going to analyze what we are doing, how to make sure that we can continue. We won’t make mistakes”. pic.twitter.com/TtiNjA9dbH

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 24, 2023

All in all, Messi has proven time and time again that he is one of the best players of all time, arguably the best. His time at PSG would likely be viewed as an addendum to his extremely successful career and PSG would continue with the search of the coveted Champions League trophy.