"I could not play or have my space" - Ex-PSG attacker opens up on lack of game time due to Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar's brilliance
Former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) attacker Pablo Sarabia has lifted the lid on his experience of sharing the dressing room with Les Parisiens trio Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
Sarabia joined the French giants from Sevilla for €18 million ahead of the 2019-20 season. He remained on the Parisians' books for three-and-a-half years, making 98 appearances across competitions.
The Spaniard's spell at PSG was far from ideal as he struggled to establish himself as a regular starter. He kept going in and out of the team before joining Sporting CP on loan in 2021.
Things got worse when Sarabia returned from Portugal in January 2022, as he also had to compete with Messi for a place in the starting lineup. He clocked just 362 minutes of Ligue 1 action during the first half of the 2022-23 season.
Frustrated with the lack of playing time, Sarabia joined Wolverhampton Wanderers for €5 million in January. Three months after his exit, the attacker looked back at his time at the Parc des Princes.
Sarabia expressed his delight at sharing the dressing room with Messi, Mbappe and Neymar, who he reckons are three of the best players of all time. However, the 30-year-old added that it was important for him to play regularly to be happy, which was not the case at PSG.
"I can tell stories, say that I shared a dressing room with great players, surely three of the best in the history of football, but you have to value what makes you happy and it makes me happy to play, to feel part of a team and that makes me happy. I get that here (at Wolves)," Sarabia told Diario AS.
Sarabia continued:
"In Paris, I couldn't play or have my space. With the top three, it was very difficult, obviously. The level they had was incredible and even more so before the World Cup, when they were spectacular."
Sarabia has made 12 appearances across competitions for Wolves so far, bagging one goal in the process.
Had to wait for Messi, Mbappe or Neymar to get injured at PSG, says Sarabia
Pablo Sarabia also recalled having to wait for one of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe or Neymar to get injured to get a chance to play at PSG. He admitted that the lack of playing time prompted him to leave the club in January:
"I was clear that I wanted to leave Paris. I wasn't having minutes. Being in the best stage of my career, I felt bad having to wait on the bench for the opportunity to play when the top three were injured... It was an unusual situation, I wanted to play."
Messi has bagged 20 goals and 19 assists in 36 appearances across competitions for PSG this term. Mbappe, meanwhile, has 34 goals and nine assists to his name. Neymar has scored 18 times and registered 17 assists from 29 games.