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Lionel Messi
Photo: Julian Finney / Getty Images
Lionel Messi was also booed by PSG fans at his farewell performance in Paris. Then the Argentine's last appearance in a Paris Saint-Germain shirt on Saturday evening failed: coach Christophe Galtier's team lost 2-3 to outsiders Clermont Foot. PSG had already been crowned champions.
Spaniard Sergio Ramos (16th minute), who leaves the club just like Messi, and Kylian Mbappé (21st/foul penalty) gave the hosts the lead before the break. Johan Gastien (24'), Mehdi Zeffane (45') and Grejohn Kyei (63') then caused the surprise.
Messi leaves with two league titles and a cup victory
Coach Galtier had already announced Messi's farewell, and shortly before kick-off, the Parisians made it official. "The club wishes Leo many more successes for the rest of his career," it said in a statement.
In two seasons at PSG, Messi won two league titles and the French Cup, he could not carry the club to a victory in the Champions League. In May, he flew to Saudi Arabia for a PR appointment and was suspended by PSG. According to reports, Messi has not met the expectations of the PSG leadership as a whole.
Messi scored 32 goals and 35 assists in all competitions. With his goal in the 1-1 draw in Strasbourg, he helped PSG to their eleventh French league title. It was the 496th league goal of his career, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo's scoring record in Europe's top five leagues.
A move to Saudi Arabia is on the cards
As in 2021, when Messi moved to Paris after 16 years as a professional at FC Barcelona, the seven-time World Player of the Year is on a free transfer. Where he will go is still open.
He is expected to announce his decision in the next few days. Messi is said to have a financially lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia. Inter Miami is another possible option, according to media reports, but it could not compete with the Saudi offer of hundreds of millions of dollars.
ast/dpa/ap