"We will treasure this moment" - PSG president aims cheeky dig at Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe after Ligue 1 title win

By Sripad

Modified Apr 06, 2025 18:34 GMT

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has taken a cheeky dig at Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi and claimed that the team is no longer dependent on stars. He took aim at Cristiano Ronaldo as well and stated that Ligue 1 was one of the strongest leagues in Europe.

Speaking to the media after PSG sealed the Ligue 1 title, Al-Khelaifi claimed that PSG squad was the star now and not one individual. He said via GOAL:

“We are immensely proud to be crowned Champions of Ligue 1, one of the strongest leagues in Europe, and it is extra special to win the title undefeated until now. Congratulations to all the players, our coach Luis Enrique, our sports advisor Luis Campos and all our staff, who have done an incredible job. It is a great moment for all our fans, in France and overseas – and for the city of Paris."

He added:

"Everyone across the world of football has seen and admired the development of the Paris Saint-Germain team in this new era – our philosophy is based on the collective above everything else. The star of Paris Saint-Germain is the team, and this star is shining so brightly. We will treasure this moment together as a family and with our amazing fans. The season is far from over, we must continue to work hard and focus, match by match; fighting for everything in all competitions until the last moment of the season."

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe left PSG in the last two summers after running down their contracts. The Argentine joined Inter Miami in 2023, while the Frenchman moved to Real Madrid in 2024.

PSG did not sign Cristiano Ronaldo because of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi spoke to Sky News in December 2022 and claimed that the club had no interest in signing Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar was a free agent after terminating his contract with Manchester United. He said via Mirror:

"The three players that we have (Messi, Neymar and Mbappe), it's very difficult, but I wish him all the best. He's fantastic, and he's still an amazing player."

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi never played together in the same team but came close on several occasions. Juventus wanted both in the early 2000s while Barcelona were offered the Portuguese star in 2009 when he wanted to leave Manchester United.

About the author

Sripad is a veteran Sportskeeda football journalist, who has been with the company for around 9.5 years. His tryst with writing happened in class XI when he started penning blogs, and his foray into football was during the early 2000s, watching matches with his cousins.

Sripad has been a Chelsea fan through and through since the age of 9 and can watch their 2012 Champions League triumph on repeat. The undisputed ‘GOAT’ according to him is Lionel Messi and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson. Apart from popular European leagues, he also likes to follow other leagues like the MLS, Saudi Pro League, Eredivisie, and Liga MX.

Sripad believes in only using the right sources for his articles, and is an expert in understanding how to get the right quotes for each news to provide proper background information. His exploits have led him to become a popular figure in European Football and interviewing Premier League legends such as Alan Shearer, Shay Given, Paul Dickov, and John Barnes. His articles have been much revered amongst the football fraternity and have been shared by the likes of John Terry, Gary Lineker, and Declan Rice.

If given a chance to change a football rule, Sripad wants VAR to be fully automated and offside rules to be less stringent. When not working, he likes to watch past Formula 1 races and play FIFA.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi