Lionel Messi has revealed that he had a very difficult adaptation to playing at Paris-Saint Germain (PSG), ahead of his move to Inter Miami. The soccer superstar, who confirmed his decision to join the MLS club earlier this month, spent two tumultuous seasons with the French club. Messi won two league titles during his time at PSG but struggled to acclimatize to playing in France initially. Despite having people he knew in the locker room, he said it was difficult for him and his family to adapt to the new club, new way of playing, new teammates, and new city without a pre-season. Messi’s stint with PSG has ended as his contract with the club expires on June 30.
The Argentine’s relationship with the club and its fans became fructuous towards the end of his spell, after he failed to deliver Champions League success and was suspended for an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia in May. Despite pre-arranging the visit for a commercial commitment as ambassador for tourism, the unauthorized trip resulted in a two-week suspension. Fans gathered outside the club’s headquarters to chant for the PSG board to resign and for Messi to leave the club. Even at recent matches, he received jeers from supporters.
Messi said that from the beginning, it was something very nice, but then people started treating him differently. Although the vast majority continued to see him and treat him respectfully, there was a disconnect with a large part of the Paris fans. Messi’s stint with Barca ended due to the club’s financial issues amid the Covid-19 pandemic despite winning LaLiga this season. He had been heavily linked with a fairytale return to his former club; however, he opted to join Inter Miami, which could offer him a lucrative contract that includes new deals with Adidas and Apple. ESPN reports that his deal with the American side includes an option that could see him become part-owner of the football club and a slice of subscriber revenues from Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass.
