The Lionel Messi era at Paris Saint-Germain will officially end on June 30 when his contract expires. Afterward, the 35-year-old will sign with MLS side Inter Miami and continue his career in the United States.
CBS Sports reporter Jonathan Johnson appeared on the latest episode of PSG Talking and discussed Messi’s tenure. Johnson agreed with Kylian Mbappé’s recent statement regarding the Argentine’s treatment in the French capital.
Nonetheless, while the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner did hear boos and whistles during his time at PSG, Johnson adds that the Messi era shouldn’t be tainted for fans of Les Parisiens.
“He did have some good moments at PSG and I don’t think that PSG fans shouldn’t wish him well in the remainder of his career,” Johnson said. “At the end of the day, he’s one of the best players that have ever played the game and it was a privilege to see him sort of when he rolled those years back with a couple of brilliant goals or bits of magic at the Parc, it passed, didn’t quite work out the way people wanted it to.
“But I don’t think that means the PSG fans should have a tainted memory of Messi because the end of the day, Mbappé was right. I do think that he got a bit of a raw deal with the way that he was treated at times, and I think a lot of the frustrations that were vented towards Messi at the end of the season just gone. It wasn’t just about Messi; it’s about stuff that’s been building up for a couple of years now.”
How Messi will fare in MLS?
Finally, Johnson put in his remarks about how he sees Messi’s time in MLS going. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will be the face of the league as they look to push for a wider audience with Messi playing and allowing many potential fans to access games via their broadcasting partner Apple TV.
“I’m curious to see how it plays out for Messi with Miami,” Johnson continued. “They don’t look to be in the best shape right now based on where they are in the league table.
“But equally, I do think that he will have a good time a bit in MLS, at least for a couple of years. I still don’t think that I can really see him being part of the World Cup in 2026, so I’d be surprised if he’s still there by then.”
Messi showed no commitment to PSG, he seemed like he didn’t want to be here from the beginning. He only cared about getting play for the World Cup. After the World CUP was done, he barely even ran. Also remember how he treated Pocchetino when he subbed him. out.
If you want to talk about legends being treated by PSG fans just look at David Beckam. He left like a club legend, because he tried his best, even though it was clear his football days were over. His retiring match was very emotional and well deserved for him.
I’ve been a Messi fan since before he was an idol, still have and wear his no. 19 shirt, but his period at PSG is forgettable, perhaps for both sides.
What would’ve PSG been without Messi playing the best passes to set up Mbappe. Do PSG even have any clinical attacking Midfielders. And how do you sit talk false things like this while Messi has the most goals contribution in the team. Nobody talks about how terrible Marquinhos, Hakimi, etc have been last season. Go to every live scores app and compare all the PSG players’ ratings to Messi’s. How did Messi have that bunch MOTM in Ligue 1. How did Mbappe fare vs Bayern. Was it not Messi trying his best to fight off Kimmich and Gorezka to in Midfield and trying to be in attack too? Is that not enough? What do u want him to do?