"That's not respect" - When PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi hit out at Lionel Messi
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was not happy with comments from Lionel Messi after his exit. He believes that the Argentine should have understood that his 2022 World Cup win was against the country he wanted to celebrate in.
Speaking to the media, Al-Khelaifi claimed that he respects Messi but the comments were not respectful. He added that the whole stadium would have not liked the club honoring the Argentine, saying:
"He's not a bad guy but I don't like it. I'll say, not just for him but for everyone, we talk when we're there, not when we're gone. That's not our style... I have great respect for him [Messi] but if someone wants to speak badly about Paris Saint-Germain afterwards, that's not good. That's not respect.
"If anyone talks about the fact that we didn't celebrate him enough after he won the World Cup, we're in France and he won against [France and PSG star] Kylian [Mbappé]. We are a French club. I don't want the whole stadium to be against him either."
He added:
"I'm going to say one thing about Messi, the best player in the world and the best player in history. It was not easy for him to come here... After Barcelona. There [in Barcelona], everything was for Messi: the players, the coaches, and the management. He comes here and it's not the same thing, we also have other players, we have Kylian and also Neymar."
Lionel Messi was not happy with PSG's failure to honor him after the FIFA World Cup.
What did Lionel Messi say about PSG after his exit?
Lionel Messi admitted that he was hurt that PSG did not honor him after the FIFA World Cup win in Qatar. The Inter Miami star claimed that he was the only Argentine to not get a recognition from the club. In an interview with ESPN’s Migue Granados in 2023, Messi said:
"It was understandable. I was in the place where we had won the final and it was our fault that France hadn't won the World Cup this time. I was the only player who didn't get recognition, apart from my 25 other players, but that's OK."
Lionel Messi played two seasons at PSG before leaving the club. He joined Inter Miami on a free transfer despite having offers from the Saudi Pro League.