Lionel Messi opens up on his 'fractured' relationship with PSG fans

Going into the final week of his PSG contract, Lionel Messi opened up on his relationship with the French club’s supporters during his two-year spell in Paris.

Lionel Messi has revealed that he experienced a “fracture” with a section of Paris Saint-Germain supporters during his two-year tenure with the club.

This was due to being booed and jeered by fans following the team’s exits from the Champions League over the past two seasons. However, Messi had nothing but praise for the supporters who still saw him and treated him the way they did when he first arrived.

“I think in the beginning it was something wonderful,” Messi told beIN Sports.

“Same as the reception I had when I arrived. But then some people started to treat me differently, a part of the Paris supporters.

“I think the vast majority still see me and treat me as they did at the beginning, but there was a fracture with a significant group of the Paris fans, which obviously wasn’t my intention, far from it. And well, it happened just as it happened before with [Kylian] Mbappe, with Neymar. I know that’s the way they behave.

“But, well, I’ll take away with me the people who respected me, as I always respected everyone since I arrived and that’s all. It’s an anecdote.”

Messi also commented on the dip in the quality of matches at the elite level following the World Cup in Qatar. Despite this, he is excited for a new chapter in his career, having decided not to extend his PSG contract at the end of the season.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner plans to join Major League Soccer club Inter Miami this summer.