Paolo Maldini, Ryan Giggs, Lionel Messi? The Argentine did not make it into this list of legendary “One Club Men”. Even if very few had expected that he would really leave “his” FC Barcelona. However, because the Catalans had acted recklessly, with Messi not uninvolved with an astronomical salary, the quite surprising move to Paris finally took place in the summer of 2021.
The world champion is now very critical of the detour to the Sheikh Club, which ended two years later, which was quite unspectacular in relation to Messi. “This move wasn’t what I wanted,” Messi admitted during his first press conference for his new employers Inter Miami. He didn’t want to leave Barça – but staying was an impossibility.
Messi and PSG failed in the Champions League
The two years in France are, typically for Messi, immortalized in the history books with impressive statistics. The left-footer accumulated 32 goals and 35 assists in 75 competitive games, which, however, could not push the failure in the Champions League into the background. In both years – 2022 against Real Madrid, 2023 against FC Bayern – Messi and PSG in the premier class were already over in the round of 16, and he had not been able to convince in any of the four knockout round games.
And yet the 36-year-old is still capable of fabulous performances at an advanced footballing age, as a few moments at the World Cup in Qatar impressively demonstrated. Messi continues to shine in football early retirement in the MLS these days – and has a lot of fun doing it. “The most important thing is to feel comfortable and enjoy what you’re doing,” said the world champion, who said he only has to get used to the hot weather in Miami.
