"Coincided with him leaving Barcelona and Maradona dying" - PSG superstar Lionel Messi's popularity at an all-time high in Argentina because of Barça exit, says journalist

Argentina captain Lionel Messi's popularity has risen back in his home country due to multiple events that occurred in 2021 and 2022, as per reputed journalist Marcela Mora y Araujo.

The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward departed Barcelona after 18 long years in 2021. The Catalans were in a tight financial spot and could not register their star player in accordance with La Liga's wage rules. He ended up joining the Ligue 1 giants on a free transfer, helping his new club win the league title in his debut season.

However, personally, Messi had a difficult season, scoring only 11 goals and laying down 15 assists throughout the campaign. Things have changed under new boss Christophe Galtier.

The PSG forward has netted 12 times and registered 14 assists in 19 games this term. He is carrying his good form into the World Cup, set to start on Sunday.

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Speaking to Off The Ball, Mora y Araujo reasoned why Messi's popularity is at an all-time high in Argentina. She explained:

"Something shifted with this group and it has also coincided with him leaving Barcelona and Maradona dying. And I think in some ways, Maradona dying did kind of clear the way. I'm not saying Messi wanted him to die or anything like that, but somehow he is now the only living legend."

The journalist continued that the current Argentine captain's rise in fame has a lot to do with the sympathy of having to leave Barcelona and with the sad demise of football legend Diego Maradona.

"So, in a way, I think Messi had some liberation – the symbolic, metaphoric liberation – from Diego physically present and the real kind of labor workman man who chooses the future liberation of stepping out of Barcelona. But I wouldn't underestimate the excellence of the team and the players and the methodology."

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Diego Armando Maradona is considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time. His 1986 team, which won the World Cup, helped him reach an elite-level status back in his home country.

The former Napoli winger passed away at 60, after suffering a cardiac arrest on November 25, 2020.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta takes responsibility for PSG star Lionel Messi's exit

Speaking to ESPN, Barca president Joan Laporta accepted that Messi's exit was ill-handled.

"We did not solve it well. And I also feel responsible for this. It must be that institutionally I did not solve it well. It was not easy. And the truth is that I think I know him, and I'm sure he knows that Barça is his home and that he's a person who we love very much."

The PSG forward's current contract in Paris is set to expire next summer. The former Barca man has been rumored to return to his old stomping ground at Nou Camp.

His focus, however, right now will be on Argentina's World Cup campaign. The South American nation are in Group C along with Poland, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia.