After being suspended by Paris Saint-Germain, Lionel Messi played again in the easy victory against Ajaccio on Saturday (5-0). Where he was taken in dislike by some of the Parisian supporters during the meeting.
Twelve days ago, no one expected to see Lionel Messi back on the lawn of the Parc des Princes anytime soon. Suspended by Paris Saint-Germain after his trip to Saudi Arabia for commercial purposes, the seven-time Ballon d’Or player nevertheless carried over the jersey of the capital club on Saturday May 13 during the match against AC Ajaccio (5- 0). A meeting that the Pulga passed under the whistles and insults of some of the Parisian supporters.
Back in training at the start of the week, after a week of suspension, the Argentine star therefore started the meeting as a starter, as Christophe Galtier had announced on Friday. “I found him very serene, very motivated to play.”, explained the PSG coach. The same day, the supporters of Al-Hilal, a Saudi club which dreams of hiring Messi, demanded from their president the arrival of the latter by cheering the name of the Argentine during the final of the King of Arabia Cup. saudi.
But for now, and until at least June 30, Messi is a PSG player. A player apart, capable of fracturing an entire stadium, like against Ajaccio on Saturday. On two occasions, his name was booed by part of the Parc des Princes when the team compositions were announced. A reaction which foreshadowed an atmosphere hostile to Messi, which would certainly have been more so in the presence of the Collectif Ultras Paris (CUP).
Messi insulted then cheered
In disagreement with the club’s management, the members of the CUP announced that they were suspending their activities “until further notice”. The central parts of the Auteuil stand thus remained empty and Messi was given a bit of a break. A little, only, because all his touches of the ball were accompanied by whistles from some refractory supporters to the boycott. A remake of the Ligue 1 match against Bordeaux, March 13, 2022, during which Messi had already been whistled, a few days after the defeat in the Champions League against Real Madrid. But at the time, other players had been targeted.
This time, the Argentinian was the only player targeted, insulted with “Messi, Messi, we fuck you” in the first minutes of the match. But a break appeared at the quarter of an hour of play when the usually silent majority of the Parc des Princes woke up. When it was time to take a corner, the Pulga initially was whistled before much of the stadium applauded him.
Of the “Messi, Messi” came down from the stands twice, notably at the hour mark after a classy gesture from the Argentinian, immediately booed by the anti-Messi. A pattern that repeated itself several times, proof that some supporters were in the same state of mind as Christophe Galtier, expressed at the microphone of Canal + before the meeting: “We have to take advantage of him as long as he is with us, that people appreciate what he is capable of doing on the pitch.“. Because the future of Messi in the club of the capital is written today in dotted lines.
Farewell against Clermont on June 3?
The Parisian supporters met in front of the Parc des Princes, before the meeting, pleaded more for a departure from the Pulga, despite its status as “best player ever”, in the words of his trainer. “What he did [partir en Arabie saoudite sans l’autorisation du PSG], it’s a lack of respect. The sanction is deserved, but I think that PSG should have suspended him for 15 days, as was planned. That he comes back tonight, it’s a shame”lamented Alexis, 24 and a supporter of PSG for fifteen years, before the meeting.
Like the latter, Olivier and Emmanuel, two PSG supporters since the 1980s, are campaigning for the Argentinian to leave Paris at the end of his contract. “To make room for young people, supports the first. “To get back on a sound financial footing and build a team around Mbappé.”, argues the second. All specified not wanting to go after Messi during the match, in “not whistling it“, but “not acclaiming it either”.
Not directly involved in the five Parisian goals, Messi will not have overthrown the supporters who took a dislike to him during the meeting, while his coach again defended himself at the end of the match at the microphone of Canal +. “I remember that there were a few whistles, but also a lot of applause. Leo was very focused on the game and he had a good game.”underlined Christophe Galtier.
Against the Corsicans, Paris came even closer to the title and the world champion may have played his penultimate match at the Parc des Princes with PSG. Messi’s final meeting with the Parisian public could take place against Clermont on June 3 during the 38th day. In what atmosphere? Not sure that the Argentinian will receive a farewell worthy of his immense career. These could be more like the mutual disenchantment which has continued to grow this season between some of the supporters and the one who arrived in triumph in the summer of 2021.