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Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi is reportedly not on the list of six players Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) want to build the club around.
Lionel Messi joined PSG as a free agent in the summer of 2021. Having won it all with Barcelona, the Argentina international was expected to lead Paris to Champions League glory this season. Unfortunately, he failed to put on a show against Real Madrid in the last-16, missing a first-leg penalty which could’ve prevented Paris’ premature exit.
Pushing for their first Champions League title, PSG signed six high-profile players before the start of the 2021-22 season. Alongside Messi, the likes of Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, and Georginio Wijnaldum also arrived at the Parc des Princes.
Despite having a star-studded squad, Paris Saint-Germain were unable to overcome an aging Real Madrid. The 3-1(3-2 on aggregate) second-leg defeat has presumably given the club a new perspective, prompting them to do some major reshuffling.
As per L’Equipe (via Marca), the club are looking to build their future around six players, all of whom have performed well this season. Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marco Verratti, Nuno Mendes, and Presnel Kimpembe are the six players who will supposedly have a long-term future at Paris. Shockingly, all three members of PSG's famed front-three have been left off the list.
The club’s standout performer Kylian Mbappe is out of contract in the summer and is expected to join Real Madrid as a free agent. Neymar and Messi are expected to remain at the club for at least one more season but might not continue beyond the summer of 2023. The former Barcelona star’s compatriot Angel Di Maria is also out of contract this summer and is expected to leave PSG this summer.
Lionel Messi fails to score in PSG’s 3-0 win over Bordeaux
Boos rang around the Parc des Princes as Paris Saint-Germain took to the field against Bordeaux on Sunday afternoon. The hosts dominated proceedings and eventually bagged a 3-0 win, courtesy of goals from Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Leandro Paredes.
Messi and Neymar were jeered the most, with each of their touches and passes being booed by the angry Parisians. Neymar managed to get them off his back with a neat goal in the second half, but there was no respite for the PSG no. 30.
He did pitch in with two important passes for Wijnaldum and Hakimi, which led to Mbappe and Neymar’s goals but couldn’t find the net himself. Messi came agonizingly close in the 87th minute but was ultimately denied by the post.
