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ESPN pundit Frank Leboeuf reckons Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) don't have any animosity towards Lionel Messi. The French outfit are set to face Messi's Inter Miami in the FIFA Club World Cup Round of 16 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, June 29.
Due to Barcelona's financial woes, Lionel Messi emotionally departed the club in the summer of 2021, joining PSG as a free agent on a two-year deal. The 38-year-old performed well, recording 32 goals and 35 assists in 75 appearances across all competitions, helping them win three trophies, including two Ligue 1 titles. However, he was unable to inspire Les Parisiens to the Champions League, despite playing alongside Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
Despite finding some success at PSG, Lionel Messi admitted he was unhappy at the club. Earlier this year in March, the Argentine ace told Apple Music (via Yahoo Sports):
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“I wasn’t happy on a daily basis, with the training, the matches, I had a hard time adapting to all of this. The way things have evolved in my last years in Paris, even though it was a decision that I had to make immediately because I had to leave Barcelona, I lived there for two years and I didn’t like it. I wasn’t happy on a daily basis, in training, in games, I had a hard time adapting to all of this."
During a segment on ESPN's YouTube channel, Leboeuf was asked by a fan if the PSG club and fans still had 'animosity' towards Messi due to his comments, to which he responded:
"I don't think so, I didn't like what he said when he said he didn't have a good time in Paris. The only guy who doesn't like Paris, its a beautiful city, I didn't understand him when he said that. I think people were happy to have Messi, wasn't the Messi they were expecting, I think if he was as good as he was at Barcelona, he'd have stayed there."
He added:
"That's why he came to PSG to rebrand or finish his career. It wasn't the same Messi as before but it was still a very good Messi and I think people were proud of having him in the club."
Lionel Messi left PSG as a free agent in July 2023, joining MLS side Inter Miami, where he still resides to date.
"On the pitch, there are no friends" - PSG star Achraf Hakimi sends warning to Lionel Messi's Inter Miami ahead of Club World Cup clash
PSG defender Achraf Hakimi has insisted he is putting friendship to the side and will be aiming to defeat Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in their upcoming FIFA Club World Cup clash. The two stars played alongside each other at PSG for two seasons between 2021 and 2023.
"It will be nice to see Messi again. There were a lot of great moments. On the pitch, there are no friends. He’s going to try and win, and we’re going to try and win too. We’re going to give everything to try and get through to the next round."
Despite losing 1-0 to Botafogo, PSG looked impressive in the group stages, finishing at the top of Group B, with six points from three games. On the other hand, Inter Miami narrowly missed out on winning Group A, finishing second in Group A with five points from three games.
