Chronology of a failed love story before his last match, PSG-Clermont, Saturday for the 38th and last day of L1.
. Welcomed like a king, August 2021
The arrival of the best player in the world shakes the Paris of football: supporters are waiting for him at Le Bourget airport on August 10 and, the next day, the jerseys flocked with his number 30 are out of stock. Accreditations are being snapped up for his press conference, one of only two he will give in France with that of the Ballon d'Or 2022. On August 29, he made his Ligue 1 debut at Reims, the city where so many kings of France were crowned. He returned for the last 25 minutes to a standing ovation from an opposing stadium, which had not seen one of the best players in the world since Raymond Kopa in the 1960s.
. First goal against City, 28 September 2021
After a slow break-in, the "Pulga" (the flea, his nickname) finally scored his first goal with Paris. He is superb, and in a match that counts, since he contributes to a victory against Manchester City (2-0) in the Champions League, with a support on Kylian Mbappé that augurs a beautiful complicity.
PSG stars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé during the match in Strasbourg, May 27, 2023 © Jean-Christophe Verhaegen / AFP/Archives
. Brelan de passes in "Sainté", 28 November 2021
Messi offers three assists to Saint-Etienne (3-1), two for Marquinhos and one for Angel Di Maria, a week after his first goal in L1 against Nantes (3-1). He seems to be launched, and yet his season will darken after the winter...
. Whistled by the Park, March 13, 2022
Crime of lèse-majesté, the Parc des Princes whistles against Bordeaux (3-0) the stars Neymar and Messi after the stampede at Real Madrid (3-1) in C1, where PSG collapses in a few minutes while it had two goals ahead, that of the first leg (1-0) plus that of Mbappé at the Bernabéu. "Ney" and the "Pulga" are judged less directly responsible for this failure than shouted down because they symbolize the "bling-bling" recruitment of the club. These lazzis mark a break for Messi, who will no longer greet the fans at the end of the matches, a gesture he was already stingy with in Paris.
. Radiant before the crown, summer-fall 2022
After a mixed first season, the Argentine is off to a very good start to his second year, for the best period of the Messi era at PSG, that of the months of competition before the World Cup. Just like Neymar, the Argentine is delighted, starting his season with a goal in the Trophée des champions against Nantes (4-0) and a double at Clermont (5-0) on the first day.
Lionel Messi during the match in Strasbourg, May 27, 2023 © PATRICK HERTZOG / AFP/Archives
. The Savior as He Walks, February 19, 2023
Messi left a lot of gum to finally win a World Cup and the rest of his season is less and less good. The free kick of the last second to snatch the victory against Lille (4-3) synthesizes his passage in Paris: the genius plays while walking, seems little concerned, but signs a victory full of success of a diabolical strike, recalling what a fantastic player he is, the one that the Park would have liked to see more often.
. New whistles, 2 April 2023
Messi, like many of his teammates, missed the 1/8th final against Bayern Munich (1-0/2-0). The weariness begins to win a part of the supporters of PSG who whistle again the star even before the defeat 1-0 against Lyon at the Park, a week after a failure, already at home, against Rennes (2-0).
Lionel Messi at PSG training at Camp des Loges, on June 1, 2023 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye © FRANCK FIFE / AFP/Archives
. The Saudi getaway, May 2023
At the beginning of May, Messi made a mistake by going to Saudi Arabia for a promotional operation, without the club's authorization. He was punished, apologized in a message derided on social media comparing him to a hostage video. He was sidelined for one match, against Troyes (3-1) on May 7, then resumed training.
. The purpose of the title
"Leo" still ended his journey by signing the goal of the title in Strasbourg (1-1), on a pass from Mbappe, to recall that his second season was excellent from a statistical point of view with 16 goals and 16 assists in the league, which make him the best passer of L1.
. "Thank you Messi"
Two hours before the kick-off of the last match of the L1 season against Clermont, PSG formalizes the departure of Lionel Messi: "After two seasons spent in the capital, the adventure between Leo Messi and Paris Saint-Germain will end at the end of the 2022-23 financial year. The Club wishes, with a certain emotion, many more successes to Leo for the rest of his career, "says the PSG.
© 2023 AFP