Lionel Messi will have his first game at the Parc des Princes on Jan. 11 when Paris Saint-Germain faces Angers. Since returning to training on Tuesday, there’s been discussion over whether the capital club will celebrate the 35-year-old’s 2022 FIFA World Cup victory.
While PSG still has their Coupe de France Round of 64 matchup against LB Châteauroux on Friday at the Stade Gaston Petit, manager Christophe Galtier was asked if the team will do anything to honor Messi at their first home game.
“We’ll see when it’s his next game, but there’s no demand and need for Leo to be celebrated,” Galtier told reporters Thursday (h/t Canal Supporters). “We are very, very lucky to have Leo Messi at PSG. I dare to hope that he will be celebrated by our supporters; there is no reason that this is not the case.”
French football pundit Didier Roustan believes that the French giants would be wise to bypass any celebrations when Messi takes the pitch for his first home fixture.
“The problem is that Lionel Messi beat France and Kylian Mbappé at the same time,” Roustan said. “This can cause big problems. He might even get whistled and it would loop around the world. In my opinion, that would be a risk. If the final had been Argentina – England the question would not even arise.”
