Lionel Messi Claims PSG Did Not Celebrate Him After 2022 World Cup Win

Lionel Messi does not hide that he was unhappy throughout his two-year stint at Paris Saint-Germain; his latest revelation has pointed to one of the lowest moments.

The veteran shockingly left Barcelona in 2021 after the club could not register his new contract, joining PSG days after bidding farewell to a club he spent 21 years with.

Messi struggled in his first season at the French capital and only scored six league goals and while he performed better in his second season, he never settled at the club.

The Argentine’s decision to leave PSG was said to have been made after winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when he communicated his unhappiness a few weeks before the end of the season.

FourFourTwo reported that Messi had multiple offers, including a potential world record offer of €1.5 billion a club in Saudi Arabia’s top flight.

Messi: PSG never celebrated my World Cup

Messi won the final piece of silverware that has eluded him in Qatar. La Albiceleste overcame an opening-day loss to Saudi Arabia to go all the way and win the World Cup, beating defending champions France in the final.

He resumed club training weeks after the triumph but was received quietly with no special attention, despite returning as a world champion.

Messi has now opened up about how he felt about the snub.

“Even though I didn’t have a good time at PSG, I became world champion there. Everything happens for a reason,” he told OLGA.

“I was the only player from our Argentina team who did not have recognition as a world champion from his club,” he added.

Messi aims dig at PSG fans

There was much speculation by fans that he did not receive special recognition because he played for a French club and because of his teammates who were on the losing side, especially Kylian Mbappe.

His thoughts on PSG fans booing him appeared to confirm this bias:

“It’s understandable. I was in the team we won the final against. It was our fault that they had not been world champions again.”

Martino explains Messi’s injury

Sports Brief previously reported on Tata Martino explaining Messi’s injury against Toronto and downplaying fears that the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner suffered a muscle injury.

The former PSG star was spotted holding his hamstring during warm-ups but the coach claimed it was a scar from a previous injury – the same that saw him sidelined vs. Bolivia.