Paris (AFP)
Great sun after the storm?
The players in Ligue 1 are delighted with the very likely arrival in Paris SG of superstar Lionel Messi, able to breathe new life into a French Championship tossed about by harsh economic conditions.
The six-fold Golden Ball, the man with 474 goals in 520 La Liga matches with FC Barcelona, has enough to terrify the French defenses, as much as to restore balm to the heart in clubs very tried in recent months by the pandemic of coronavirus and the TV rights crisis.
All are delighted at the prospect of seeing him wear the PSG jersey, after his arrival in the capital on Tuesday afternoon.
The Parisian club are poised to pull off a sensational blow with the Argentinian, free to engage where they want since Barça gave up extending his contract.
The feat would be all the more resounding as Ligue 1 suffers from a lack of attractiveness vis-à-vis its powerful neighbors (England, Italy, Spain, Germany) who accumulate continental trophies.
It would therefore be the revenge of the "Farmers League" ("peasants' championship") that the English like to mock.
"We say that we have a shitty championship, full of things that are not good. If we manage to bring in a player like him, it's extraordinary. We are going to enjoy ourselves", assures the new coach of Brest, Michel Der Zakarian.
- "Strong signal" -
"That he chooses Ligue 1 would mean a lot of things, it would bring visibility and it would enhance our championship. It would really be a strong signal," added his Rennes counterpart, Bruno Genesio.
While the "Pulga" has just arrived in France, its presence is already dreaming: "Do you see Messi coming to Saint-Etienne? It would be a plus in terms of quality and notoriety. He is a player of madness", launches Claude Puel, at the head of the Greens.
RC Lens coach Franck Haise during the Ligue 1 match against Rennes, at Roazhon Park, August 8, 2021 JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER AFP
"He's the best player in the world," for Argentinian OM coach Jorge Sampaoli, who had Messi under his command at the 2018 World Cup with the Argentine selection.
The Portuguese captain of Losc, José Fonte, sees bigger: "I have already spoken with Cristiano (Ronaldo) to come to Lille, I will continue to speak to him to try to make him come so that there is (a duel) Messi-Ronaldo! "he smiles.
"For Ligue 1 and the spectators, it would be very, very good news. A little less for the coaches," laughs Lens coach Franck Haise.
Rare discordant voice, the technician of Metz Frédéric Antonetti emits a caveat: "For a football purist like me, Messi must end his career in Barcelona ... but that was before."
- International rights -
Today, it is a new era that can begin for Ligue 1, in search of momentum after 18 complicated months, between premature end of the 2019-20 season, crisis of TV rights and behind closed doors stadiums.
The 2021-22 financial year remains under tension, in particular because of the conflict between the League (LFP) and beIN Sports and Canal + broadcasters.
"For the L1, the major economic interest will be the optimization of international rights, which are very weak", explains to AFP Virgile Caillet, general delegate of Union Sport et Cycle (USC), first organization professional in the sport and leisure sector.
The players in Ligue 1 are delighted with the arrival at PSG of superstar Lionel Messi, capable of revitalizing a French Championship tossed about by the economic crisis.
Sylvain THOMAS AFP
These are estimated at around 80 million euros per year until 2024, far from the 1.5 billion euros that the clubs of the Premier League touch, the Championship which generates the most money, or even the 139 M EUR of the Italian Serie A (excluding the United States and the Middle East).
"It remains quite marginal. We saw the example of the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in Serie A: when he signed for Juventus (in 2018), TV rights have not necessarily increased", nuance Raffaele Poli , head of the Football Observatory at the Center international d'études du sport (CIES), based in Neuchâtel.
“There can be an impact at the sponsor level. But in and of itself, most of the small teams are supported by regional sponsors. The big multinationals and companies will partner with the big clubs, not the small ones. For me, there are will have small advantages, but it will not be of the order of a significant difference, "he continues.
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© 2021 AFP