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Former Ligue1 star Jacques Faty has suggested that Marseille could bring in Lionel Messi amid rumors of a Saudi Arabian takeover.
He first addressed the sale of the club, who are sitting seventh in Ligue 1 and finished second in their Europa League group behind Brighton & Hove Albion. The club's last league success came in the 2009/10 season, while their last European trophy was the 1992/92 UEFA Champions League victory.
Talking about the sale of the club, Faty said (via le 10 Sport):
"I think we need a buyout to buy great players. McCourt sold us a dream, the 'Champions Project'... pfff... Now, he is going to sell Marseille for more than what he bought from the Saudis. Marseille deserves!"
He then moved to the topic of potentially signing Messi, who has previously spent two years at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) before his switch to Inter Miami in the sumer of 2023.
"Saudi Arabia really needs to come and put in millions. Marseille is an exceptional club, with an incredible audience. (…) I don't think anything bad about Longoria, but I really hope that Marseille will be bought out and put in millions."
Faty continued:
"Already, the stadium is full at the moment, imagine with the millions of Saudi Arabia. Messi, you put him in Marseille, he will feel like he is in Argentina."
Messi played 75 matches across competitions at the Parc des Princes, bagging 32 goals and 35 assists. He won Ligue 1 twice but failed to lay his hands on the UEFA Champions League with the Parisians.
Lionel Messi was recently awarded FIFA The Best Men's Player of the Year Award
The Argentine icon won Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain before adding another trophy in the form of the Leagues Cup with Inter Miami in 2023. Messi also won the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina in Qatar, where he was awarded the Golden Ball trophy.
With his club, Messi registered 21 goals and 20 assists in 41 games across competitions in the 2022-23 season. In Qatar, Messi netted seven goals and added three assists in seven games for Argentina during the FIFA World Cup.
His overall achievements led Messi to winning the 2023 FIFA The Best Men's Player of the Year award ahead of Erling Haaland (second) and Kylian Mbappe (third).
