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PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has hailed Lionel Messi as the best player in history. However, he revealed that they could not celebrate his World Cup triumph as it was won against France and Kylian Mbappe.
Speaking to RMC Sport, Al-Khelaifi stated that the fans would have whistled for Messi if they had organized a celebration at Parc des Princes. Adding that the comments against the club were not good, he said:
"Messi is the best player in history. It was challenging for him to transition from Barcelona and come here all of a sudden. I have a lot of respect for him. However, I don't accept people speaking ill of Paris Saint-Germain. I want players to speak while they are at the club, not afterwards."
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He added:
"We did not celebrate Messi because he won the World Cup against France and he won it against Kylian, and because we are also a French club, so we did not celebrate him so that the fans would not whistle at him."
Lionel Messi played for two seasons at PSG and played 75 matches. He scored 32 goals and assisted 35 times during his time in France before moving to Inter Miami in the summer.
Lionel Messi was not happy with PSG not celebrating his World Cup win
Lionel Messi spoke to ESPN Argentina in September 2023 and admitted that PSG not commemorating his FIFA World Cup victory hurt him. However, he added that he was aware of their reasons, saying:
"I was the only player of the [squad] that didn’t get a [club] recognition. It was understandable ... because of us [Argentina], they didn’t retain the World Cup."
He added:
“It happened like that. It was not what I expected but I always say things happen for a reason. Even if I wasn’t [doing] well there, it happened that I was world champion while I was there.”
Lionel Messi had the option to extend his deal by another season at PSG but decided to leave the club. He opted against the offers from Al Hilal and Barcelona before moving to Inter Miami in the MLS.
