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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) continued their stellar run in Ligue 1 with a 1-0 win over Marseille at the Parc des Princes on Sunday (October 16). Neymar scored the solitary goal of the game to keep his team atop the standings.
Meanwhile, Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has said that Lionel Messi has moved on from his eventful Barcelona exit. Elsewhere, Kylian Mbappe has rubbished reports of his January exit from Paris.
On that note, here's a look at the key PSG transfer stories as on October 17, 2022:
Lionel Messi has moved on from Barcelona exit, says Guillem Balague
Lionel Messi has put his painful departure from Barcelona behind him, according to Guillem Balague. The Argentinean left the Camp Nou last summer after the club failed to extend his stay without falling foul of La Liga's financial fairplay regulations. Messi eventually joined PSG on a Bosman move.
The 35-year-old endured a difficult debut campaign with the Parisians but looks back to his best this season. Speaking to Le Parisien, as cited by PSG Talk, Guillem said that leaving the Blaugrana had a profound effect on Messi.
“It’s no secret that Messi has low emotional volume when he’s on the pitch. But clearly, having to leave Barcelona has affected him immensely. The day his departure was announced, Xavi and Busquets said they saw him broken, collapsed. He couldn’t control his emotions and broke down," said Balague.
However, Guillem added that the Argentinean has overcome the incident and is now focused on the Parisians and the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar with Argentina.
"Since nothing was going well that day, he didn’t have a handkerchief … That partly explains how he went through last season. This departure, he experienced it as an injustice. Today, he is focused on his season at PSG and the World Cup.”
Messi has scored eight goals and set up eight more from 14 games this season across competitions.
Kylian Mbappe squashes reports of January exit from PSG
Kylian Mbappe has denied reports claiming he wants to leave PSG in January. Recent reports have suggested that the player is frustrated at the Parc des Princes and wants to leave next year.
However, speaking to RMC Sport (via PSG Talk) after the Marseille win on Sunday, Mbappe said that there's no truth to those talks.
“I’m very happy, I never asked to leave in January. The info came out on the day of the match (against Benfica), I didn’t understand. I’m not not even remotely involved in this news. I was just as shocked as everyone else," said Mbappe.
He added:
“People may think I’m involved, but I’m not involved at all; I was taking a nap. My entourage was at my little brother’s game. All the people who take care of me weren’t there, so we were flabbergasted when we found out. Afterward, we had to deal with it; there was a game to play. Just to say it’s completely wrong, and I’m very happy.”
Mbappe has 12 goals from 14 games this season across competitions.
Christophe Galtier satisfied with performance against Marseille
New Parisians manager Christophe Galtier is very satisfied with the win over Marseille in the season's first Le Classique. PSG came out on top in a closely contested tie as Galtier extended his unbeaten start to his tenure in Paris.
Speaking after the game, the Frenchman said that the victory was needed after three consecutive draws.
"After the last three matches, which were average, or sometimes promising, but we didn't get the win, it was also important to get back to winning ways. Because these are decisive matches, and we were face to face with a Marseille team that has made a good start to the season, a side that is on track in the Champions League and a side in full confidence," said Galtier.
Galtier added that he told his players that the game would be decisive in the title race.
"I told my players that this was also a decisive match in the fight for the title and that we should not wait until Round 32 or 33 to try to make a difference. In that sense, especially, it was important to get the win. Obviously, I am very satisfied," said Galtier.
The Parisians have won nine of their 11 games in the league this season.
