Lionel Messi struggled during the 2021-22 football season, where he could not consistently find the back of the net. There was plenty of speculation about what led to the 35-year-old’s difficulty adapting to life in France.
In a recent interview with Le Parisien (h/t Paris Fans), Spanish journalist Guillem Balague discussed how Messi has digested his departure from FC Barcelona and finally closed that chapter.
“It’s no secret that Messi has low emotional volume when he’s on the pitch,” Balague told the French publication. “But clearly, having to leave Barcelona has affected him immensely. The day his departure was announced, Xavi and Busquets said they saw him broken, collapsed. He couldn’t control his emotions and broke down.
“And since nothing was going well that day, he didn’t have a handkerchief… That partly explains how he went through last season. This departure, he experienced it as an injustice. Today, he is focused on his season at PSG and the World Cup.”
Regarding his future, Barcelona has hinted at possibly going after Messi as the veteran forward’s contract expires in June 2023, and he will decide where to play next season.
The Argentine could opt for a return to the Camp Nou, extend his contract with PSG, or perhaps head across the pond and join an MLS team since he’s been linked to Inter Miami in the past.
Nonetheless, whatever Messi decides to do for next season, the PSG star appears to have moved on from that date when he was asked to leave Barcelona.
