The two-week suspension that Paris Saint-Germain handed Lionel Messi last Tuesday after an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia remains a topic of discussion in the football world.
Former PSG midfielder Claude Makelele believes that the sanction imposed on Lionel Messi is a bad signal sent to top players that the capital club might recruit in the future.
Additionally, Makelele notes that the suspension would discourage players of Messi’s caliber from playing in Ligue 1.
“It pains me the way in which players of this caliber of planetary fame are criticized,” Makelele told reporters at the Laureus World Sports Awards (h/t RMC Sport). “We saw that with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United. It’s happening with Messi; it’s a shame. It’s a shame because it’s making these players understand not to come to Ligue 1 anymore. It would be a shame to lose this kind of player who gives pleasure.
“We can’t like them all, but we need this kind of player. In England, they make sure to attract them because it’s entertainment; it makes people want to come to the stadium. It would be a shame to lose a player like Messi.”
Messi’s tenure in the French capital will likely end when his contract with the capital club expires in June; however, Makelele hopes there’s a change and that the Argentine continues in Paris instead of leaving.
PSG picked up a 3-1 win over Troyes on Sunday, so it will be interesting to see if the squad plays better without Messi; as a result, does the French giants decide that it’s time to end the Argentine’s tenure and take the sporting project in a different direction.
Mohamudullah