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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) face Nantes in Ligue 1 on Saturday (March 4) at the Parc des Princes. The Parisians are eight points clear atop the standings after 25 games.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has won the Best FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award. Elsewhere, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has expressed his satisfaction with manager Christophe Galtier.
On that note, here's a look at the key PSG transfer stories as on February 28, 2023:
Lionel Messi wins Best FIFA Men's Player
Lionel Messi won the 2022 Best FIFA Men’s Player of the Year Award on Monday (February 27).
The Argentinean was the favourite for the award after his stellar exploits (seven goals and three assists) at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The 35-year-old guided La Albiceleste all the way at the tournament and also won the Golden Ball.
Messi has been equally prolific for PSG this season, living up to the billing at the Parc des Princes after a lukewarm first campaign.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner saw off competition from Karim Benzema and clubmate Kylian Mbappe to win the prestigious award. After getting his hands on the trophy, the Argentinean expressed his gratitude to Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni and all his La Albiceleste teammates:
“I’d like to express thanks to my teammates, to Scaloni (Argentina coach) and without them I wouldn’t be here. My coach, he is part of this victory as well. I’d like to pay tribute to all of my teammates. It was an amazing year, and I achieved a dream I’ve been hoping for so long,” said Messi.
He added:
“Finally I achieved it. It’s a dream for any player. Very few players can achieve that, and I’ve been lucky enough to do it.”
Messi has registered 17 goals and 16 assists in 28 games across competitions for the Parisians this season.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi backs Christophe Galtier
Nasser Al-Khelaifi has said that he always had belief in the PSG team and Christophe Galtier. The French manager’s position at the Parc des Princes is not entirely secure after a recent run of underwhelming results, though.
After the win over Marseille last weekend, as cited by RMC Sports, Al-Khelaifi said that the 2022 FIFA World Cup affected the Parisians.
“I am very happy. We had a great match tonight, a great PSG. I have always had confidence in my players and my coach. We really had a great game. It's PSG; it's our level; we won with style. We played against a great Marseille. But it's the real face of PSG . There are a lot of positives. This match was not three points but six points,” said Al-Khelaifi.
He added:
“The matches were very aggressive. It's also good preparation, with Nantes, for the Champions League. I have always had confidence in my coach. I know what he can give. It was complicated after the World Cup, for everyone but especially for us because we had a lot of players affected. There have been a lot of injuries. That's no excuse."
However, Al-Khelaifi remains confident ahead of a season-defining tie against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.
“Confident for the match against Bayern? Always. This match will give a lot of confidence to the players, to everyone,” said Al-Khelaifi.
The Ligue 1 champions trail 1-0 in the Round of 16 of the tie after a narrow home defeat.
Bayern Munich wanted PSG’s Achraf Hakimi in 2020
Bayern Munich wanted to sign Achraf Hakimi in 2020, according to journalist Christian Falk via Bavarian Football Works.
The Moroccan was on loan with Borussia Dortmund from Real Madrid and has become a household name after a string of impressive performances. The Bavarians were reportedly considering a move for the 27-year-old, but the transfer never saw the light of the day due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hakimi eventually left Los Blancos for Inter Milan that year and ended up at PSG in 2021.
The Moroccan has gone from strength to strength at the Parc des Princes since his arrival and is one of the first names on the team sheet. He has appeared 31 times across competitions for the Parisians this season, registering four goals and five assists.
