PSG chief accuses Lionel Messi of lacking ‘respect’

Nasser Al-Khelaifi shared his verdict on Lionel Messi’s recent comments about PSG and how the player fared at the club.

The chairman of Paris Saint-Germain, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has chided Lionel Messi for not showing “respect” to his former club.

During his interview with Migue Granados in September, Messi expressed resentment toward PSG. He told the comedian that he was the only Argentina player who didn’t get honored for his World Cup success by his club.

The 36-year-old was named as World Cup’s best player after leading Argentina to glory. He played a starring role in the final against France by scoring two goals and a penalty in the shootout. His contributions helped Argentina win 4-2 on penalties to dethrone the previous world champions.

‘That’s not respect’

Speaking to RMC Sport about Messi’s comments, Al-Khelaifi said: “He’s not a bad guy but I don’t like it.”

“I’ll say, not just for him but for everyone, we talk when we’re there, not when we’re gone,” the 50-year-old continued.

“That’s not our style… I have great respect for him. But if someone wants to speak badly about Paris Saint-Germain afterward, that’s not good. That’s not respect.

“If anyone talks about the fact that we didn’t celebrate him enough after he won the World Cup, we’re in France. He won against [France and PSG player] Kylian [Mbappe].

“We are a French club. I don’t want the whole stadium to be against him either.”

‘It was not easy for him to come here’

Messi left PSG last summer after two years. The forward struggled to adapt to Parisian life following his arrival in 2021 from Barcelona. He couldn’t replicate the same level of performance he displayed at Barca. This caused some PSG supporters to jeer at him during games.

“I’m going to say one thing about Messi, the best player in the world and the best player in history,” Al-Khelaifi added.

“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.”

Messi finished his PSG career with a record of 32 goals and 35 assists in 75 appearances. He won back-to-back Ligue 1 titles and the Trophée des Champions during his time in France.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner now plays for Inter Miami after completing a free transfer to the MLS club last summer.