“It’s incredible to tell you this now” - Christophe Galtier says Lionel Messi shared special bond with midfielder at PSG
Former PSG manager Christophe Galtier has said that Lionel Messi shared a special connection with Warren Zaire-Emery. He said that the teenager was a talent and that Messi had also spotted it.
Speaking to Canal Plus, Galtier said that Messi was one of the leaders in the PSG dressing room. He added that the Argentine was ready to welcome and help the young talents as he said:
"The leaders in the locker room, surely the best players in the world, want Warren to team up with them in games. It's incredible to tell you this now in hindsight. But there was a real connection between Warren and Leo (Messi)."
Galtier spoke about Zaire-Emery during his time at PSG and that the youngster was good enough to start when he was just 16:
"We're not in preparation matches. I'm very happy with Warren's start. There was the little slip-up against Reims with the equaliser. I have to have some competition in the squad. If a 16 and a half or 17 year old is more capable of playing than the other players, they will play."
Warren Zaire-Emery played 25 matches with Lionel Messi at PSG. They never combined for any goals, but lost 30% of the matches they played together.
Lionel Messi wasn't happy at PSG during his two-year stay
Lionel Messi said that he wasn't happy during his time at PSG between 2021 and 2023. He told Mundo Deportivo that his best time at the club was while he was away with the national team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
"I had two years where I was so unhappy on a personal level that I didn't enjoy it," said Messi.
"I had that month that was spectacular for me because of winning the World Cup, but apart from that, it was a difficult period for me. I want to rediscover joy, enjoy my family, my children, the day-to-day. ... And that's why the decision for Barcelona didn't happen."
He was also unhappy with the club not honouring his World Cup win:
"I was the only player of the (squad) that didn't get a (club) recognition. It was understandable ... because of us (Argentina), they (France) didn't retain the World Cup."
PSG explained that they didn't want to upset French fans, as Argentina had beaten Les Bleus in the final.