"His championship is kind of dead" - PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi takes brutal dig at Javier Tebas with Lionel Messi example

A war of words between Javier Tebas and Nasser Al Khelaifi has ensued.

Lionel Messi's switch to PSG last summer meant La Liga lost another superstar to the French giants following the transfer of Neymar in 2017. La Liga chief Javier Tebas has intensely criticised the Ligue 1 champions' transfer activities in recent weeks, forcing Parisians president Nasser Al Khelaifi to respond with a dig of his own.

PSG had an unbelievable transfer window last summer, adding the likes of Sergio Ramos, Lionel Messi, Georgino Wijnaldum and Gianluigi Donnarumma to their ranks. Although the aforementioned players arrived as free agents, many doubted the Parisians' compliance with UEFA's Financial Fair Play Rules.

Javier Tebas: "The renewal of Mbappé? We will sue PSG. It is impossible for PSG to respect UEFA's fairplay." https://t.co/U0iaAtqO7R

Nasser Al Khelaifi touched the subject while hitting back at Tebas, insisting his club is in good standing with the FFP rules.

"Every year, every summer, it's the same," the PSG president was quoted as saying by Ole. "What if Fair Play, what if we don't respect the rest. ... We know what we can do, what we can sign, we know better than him what we can do and nobody has to tell us what we have to do. An outsider doesn't have to tell us what we can or cannot do. If we do it, it's because we can."

To rub more salt into Tebas' wound, Al Khelaifi brought in the subject of Messi, whose departure has had obvious consequences on La Liga's popularity. He also told the Spaniard to focus on his league, which is currently 'kind of dead'.

🚨🎙| Nasser Al-Khelaifi: "Javier Tebas? He's scared that Ligue 1 is overtaking La Liga. La Liga is no longer what it once was." #rmalive

He said:

"Look at the case of Messi. The same thing happened; they already said it was financially impossible, and we have made money with Messi. He has no idea, and he should focus on his championship because his championship is kind of dead."

Lionel Messi's debut season with PSG in numbers

Lionel Messi's transfer to PSG generated a lot of buzz last summer.

Lionel Messi had a slow start to life in his first year in Paris but still contributed 11 goals and 15 assists in 34 appearances across competitions. He ended up claiming silverware, as the Parisians concluded their campaign with the Ligue 1 title.

Messi still has one year left on his contract with PSG, meaning he should be there at the Parc des Princes next term. He will surely be looking forward to playing a more influential role in the new campaign.