Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) boss Christophe Galtier recently dismissed the notion that he had an altercation with Lionel Messi in training. There were widespread rumors that the Argentine forward left training early on Friday (March 17) after an altercation with his coach.
The French coach, though, dismissed the reports. He claimed that the forward felt an adductor problem and wasn't present in training for the past two days to take care of himself. He said (h/t PSG community):
"A mess with Messi? I don't expect your question. On Wednesday, in the middle of the session, Leo felt a gene in the adductor. He shortened the training session. The next day he stayed to care with the staff. Then he was able to follow the last two sessions with the group. Nothing happened between Leo and the group or between Leo and myself."
The 35-year-old has made 31 appearances for the Parisian club this season, scoring 18 goals and providing 17 assists. He is currently in the final months of his new contract with PSG and is yet to agree on a new deal.
He joined the Ligue 1 giants in 2021 after Barcelona were unable to renew his contract due to La Liga's wage cap rules. Messi has since made 65 appearances for the Parisians, scoring 29 goals and providing 32 assists.
Ronald Araujo would like to see PSG superstar Lionel Messi make a return to Barcelona
Amidst Messi's uncertain PSG future, Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has claimed that he would love to see the Argentine make a return to Camp Nou. In a recent chat with Infobae, the defender said:
"I would love to see Messi return to Barcelona, he is the best in the world and would help us win another Champions League. We have a nice friendship."
Both players played 33 matches as teammates during their time at Barcelona. When asked about the memories of sharing the pitch with the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, Araujo said:
"We have a very nice friendship. When I got to the first team, he was always with Lucho (Luis Suárez) and they invited me to drink mates with them. They received me very well. And when Lucho went to Atlético de Madrid, I took his place and always sat next to Leo. He is a spectacular person."
The Argentina captain scored 672 goals and provided 303 assists in 778 appearances for Barcelona, winning numerous trophies.