Sports
Messi Lament his ‘Massive Disappointment’ in PSG Champions League woes
Lionel Messi has said that his start at Paris Saint-Germain, PSG was a “massive disappointment” after the club failed to win the Champions League.
“I came to Paris because I liked the club because I had friends in the dressing room… it seemed easier for me to adapt rather than another destination I could have gone to,” Messi told beIN Sports in an interview broadcast Sunday.
“In reality, it was a very tough adaptation, much harder than I expected… with a new gameplan, new teammates, a new city.
“I arrived late, I didn’t have a pre-season. The start was difficult for me, my family.”
He joined PSG in 2021 after leaving Barcelona, but the team was eliminated in the Champions League quarterfinals in both of his seasons in Paris. Lionel Messi scored 26 goals and 19 assists in 34 Ligue 1 appearances for PSG this season, but he was unable to help the team win the league title.
He is, however, set to head Stateside to Inter Miami in the MLS after leaving the French capital.
“It took me time to refind my physical form,” he admitted, adding that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar — which Messi won with Argentina — also took its toll.
“It’s not an excuse but the World Cup played a big role. Some came back later than others, and some were injured, like Neymar.
“I think, generally, the level of Ligue 1 and the Champions League was affected by the World Cup.”
Lionel Messi admitted that Champions League losses to Real Madrid in 2022 and Bayern Munich this season were a “massive disappointment”. There were even sections of PSG fans who turned on Messi, whistling at him from the stands.
“In the beginning, it was great, I received a lot of encouragement… but later on a part of the Parisian fanbase treated me differently. The majority treated me well, but there was a rupture with a part of the public,” he acknowledged.