Paris Saint-Germain and Lionel Messi ended their two-year tenure on a sour note, with fans calling for the Argentine to leave after last season. Nearly a year after his exit, Javier Pastore reflects on the root of the issue.
Pastore has played with Messi while on duty with the Argentina national team and spent eight years as a PSG player. As a result, he’s one of the people who can see the issue from a player and club perspective.
The former PSG player notes that the Ligue 1 side needed to navigate a delicate situation, considering players come and go, but the club stays forever.
“This delicate situation was caused more by the French than by the club,” Pastore told La Nacion (h/t Sport.fr). “Seen from the outside, the club has tried to protect itself because it is still there and it will always be there.
“And people will continue to go to the stadium to see their club. A club will never take the player’s side, ever, because they have much more support than a single player, even if he is the best in the world.”
Pastore revealed that there’s also the hurt from the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, in which Argentina defeated France in penalty kicks. As a result, some of those emotions trickled into their disdain for Messi and how his tenure in the French capital ended last season following the UEFA Champions League elimination.
“The French were very hurt by the World Cup, by many things, and they didn’t even forgive him for a bad patch,” Pastore added. “They felt resentful. And they whistled him, just like they whistled Neymar, incredibly.
“The Frenchman is difficult, it’s difficult to convince him. I was lucky, I was loved from day one, and they showed me affection for which I am grateful. Sometimes I don’t understand why they love me so much.”
