Inter Miami and Argentina forward Lionel Messi expressed his confusion regarding the poor reaction of Pari Saint Germain as he neared the end of his tenure in France. Messi joined PSG in the summer of 2021, from his first European club - FC Barcelona and managed to win two league titles with the Parisians.
But in his second season with PSG, Messi received constant criticism from local fans as he lifted the 2022 FIFA World Cup title by beating France in an intense penalty shootout. This negative fan reaction continued in every game in the second half of the 2022-23 season as boos filled up every stadium be it home or away. Addressing these responses, Messi opened up about how fans were incredible in the starting but soon a rift developed.
While speaking to RMC Sport, he said, "At first it was great, I received a lot of encouragement as I've often said, but then people started to treat me differently, some of the Paris fans. The majority, on the other hand, treated me as well as they did at the start."
Further, Messi talked about how his teammates Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Jr. also had to face these reactions from the crowd. He also thanked those who were still supporting him and revealed that he enjoyed his time in France. Messi said, "There was a rift with a large section of the Paris crowd. Of course, it wasn't my intention. But these are things that have already happened with Mbappé and Neymar too, it's their way of doing things. But I still remember all those people who supported me, as they did at the start.”
"I don’t know, I had to spend four years in Paris and I enjoyed it a lot. We played important things, and we were very close to winning the Champions League, but afterwards, I can’t explain why the treatment and reaction towards us," he further added.
