Lionel Messi has seemingly confirmed that he will remain at Paris Saint Germain next season, amid speculation that a return to Barcelona could be on the cards.
The Argentinian forward joined the Parisians in the summer of 2021 after La Liga rules prevented Barcelona from being able to afford the renewal of his contract, leaving Messi to wave a teary goodbye to the Camp Nou and swap Spain for France.
Lionel Messi leaves the pitch after chatting with Paris Saint-Germain’s Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino during the French L1 football match between Paris-Saint Germain (PSG) and Olympique Lyonnais at The Parc des Princes Stadium. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images).
And it has been an underwhelming period of Messi’s career in the time since, with the 34-year-old returning *just* 6 goals and 14 assists in 26 Ligue 1 outings. While impressive for almost anyone else, by his own lofty standards, and the expectations of the Parisian faithful, it was a disappointing campaign.
In fact, he was one of those booed by the PSG fans following their Champions League defeat to eventual champions Real Madrid.
Messi to stay
And, following the decision of Kylian Mbappe to remain at the Parc de Princes, it seems as though Messi is set to follow suit. Speaking to TYC Sports, he revealed that he expects to be in Paris, and able to offer improved performances, in the coming campaign.
‘Next season will be way better for me with Paris Saint-Germain, I’m sure. It was not easy after that crazy summer’, he told reporters.
‘It was really difficult to understand what happened, I wasn’t expecting to leave Barcelona – it was a shock’.
Leo Messi tells @TyCSports: “Next season will be way better for me with Paris Saint-Germain, I’m sure. It was not easy after that crazy summer”. ?? #PSG
“It was really difficult to understand what happened, I wasn’t expecting to leave Barcelona – it was a shock”.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 30, 2022
It means that, in all likelihood, the world will be treated to at least one more season of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe all playing in the same side.
