“A crazy punishment”protests the Argentinian sports daily Ole. In a box in “one”, Wednesday, May 3, the newspaper returns to the crime of lèse-majesté of which the child of the country was the victim: Lionel Messi. The striker was sanctioned the day before by his club, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), because of a trip to Saudi Arabia for which he had not given his authorization.
Especially since the native of Rosario, who had flown to Riyadh to honor his commercial partnership with the tourist office of the monarchy, neighbor and rival of Qatar – owner of PSG -, had missed a team training at Camp des Loges. Not the best effect the day after a crushing defeat (1-3) at the Parc des Princes against Lorient, 10e of the French championship.
Result: a disciplinary procedure and ” several days “ suspension without pay. A sanction ” too strong “to believe Ole : “We are talking about the best player in the world, the one who has shown exemplary behavior throughout his career, whether in Barcelona or even in the national team. » The title, which even has a section devoted to the star, is convinced of this: it is “the plot of an announced end”. The agreement in principle between the Ile-de-France club and the player for a contract extension, cleverly staged in the media in the wake of the World Cup in Qatar, in December 2022, now seems a long way off…
“A tsunami in a glass of water”
“Days and months passed and there were no more meetings or news between [Luis] Fields [le directeur sportif du PSG] and Messi. At the club, it was concluded that the number 30 was not ready to continue in Paris, because there was no progress or communication. Beyond the fact that Leo [surnom de Messi], publicly, has never said anything about his future. But there was more initial smell than continuity…”, writes the daily. Until “this unexpected moment” : this trip to Saudi Arabia, “who made the hair on the heads of the Qataris”.
In Argentina, the case goes so far as to agitate the general media. The Nationshe also sees it THE “preamble to a permanent removal, with no room for maneuver to agree on the renewal of the contract [du joueur] which will expire next June”. For the conservative title, this “rupture comes after creating a tsunami in a glass of water, turning a minor problem into a conflict without return”.
Before questioning: “Would PSG have done this if Messi had won one of the two Champions Leagues he played” under the colors of the club? Isn’t it more this disappointment that weighed in the balance than that of seeing him miss a cleaning session? Above all, “Why such intransigence today, when at the beginning of the year he was authorized to extend his holidays in Rosario? »
The Nation ends with a tackle against a club which “has long wanted to establish himself as an essential member of the big European clubs, but remains strange and unpredictable, with outbursts of omnipotence that seem to protect his pride more than rationality”.
The “animosity” of PSG towards Barça
In Spain, too, and more particularly in Catalonia, we defend the Argentinian. For the Barcelona newspaper world sportsthe thing is even very simple: the player “dragged its feet on PSG renewal proposals”gold “FC Barcelona no longer hides its interest in recovering Leo from 1er July in order to close the wound of his unexplained departure in 2021”. And it’s good “this interest, given the well-known animosity of the Parisian club towards [du Barça] for different episodes of the transfer window, [qui] also influenced the furious reaction of the Parisian club towards the Argentinian”.
Asked at a press conference, the coach of FC Barcelona and ex-teammate of Messi, Xavi Hernandez, kicked him into touch: “With Leo, I don’t know what happened. I can’t say. » If the Catalan press, like some of the socios, do not hide their desire to see the prodigal son return to Camp Nou, the situation is a little more complicated. And the Argentinian’s future could well be played in Major League Soccer, in the United States, or in Saudi Arabia, alongside his “rival” Cristiano Ronaldo.
On Wednesday, the “Pulga” (the “chip”) was once again absent from the training session at Camp des Loges. Everything seems to be heading towards a divorce between the world champion and the club he joined in August 2021, after 31 goals scored and 33 assists delivered in the Parisian jersey. On June 30, the seven-time Ballon d’Or will be free of any contract and will have the cards in hand to prepare for his transfer.
And The Nation to summarize, sarcastically: “When Messi takes stock of his two seasons in France, his biggest smile will be when he remembers the moment when he realized his biggest dream: to be world champion with the Argentine selection. »