Poll

After costing them £50.2MILLION in wages, was Lionel Messi a flop for PSG?

• Yes - He didn't win the Champions League 0 votes
• No - He had two great years 0 votes

Now share your opinion

'I am delighted that Lionel Messi has chosen to join Paris St-Germain and we are proud to welcome him to Paris, with his family,' PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi triumphantly said on August 10 2021.  

'He did not hide his desire to continue to evolve at the highest level and to win trophies. The ambition of the club is of course identical.

'The addition of Leo to our world-class team confirms the relevance and success of our recruitment. Together with our great coach and his staff, I look forward to seeing our team make history for all of our supporters around the world.'

The Parisians could barely hide their delight after the completing the signing of Messi two years ago. Ever since Qatar Sports Investments purchased PSG in 2011, the aim had been to turn the club into a global superpower and now they had arguably the greatest player of all-time in their team - a man with a record six Ballon d'Ors who had lifted 35 trophies with Barcelona.

However, two seasons later and Messi is heading for the exit door after PSG boss Christophe Galtier confirmed as such on Thursday afternoon. 

His last game will be against Clermont Foot on Saturday and perhaps bizarrely he will leave the club without much fanfare and may even be booed by PSG's supporters again in his final appearance.

On the one hand, Messi leaves with an impressive 32 goals and 35 assists in 74 appearances for the French giants which suggests an impressive impact in Paris.

He also helped the Red and Blues win back-to-back Ligue 1 titles after they had come second the year before he arrived at the club.

However, it was widely reported how the main factor behind his arrival was to help PSG achieve their ultimate dream of winning the Champions League having lost in the final in 2019-20 and reached the semi-finals in 2020-21.

On that note, his move has arguably been a failure as they crashed out in the last-16 stage in both seasons, while winning Ligue 1 is surely a must for a club with the financial might of PSG.

Similarly, this year's league title was far from convincing as several defeats and uninspiring performances following the World Cup meant Galtier's side crawled over the line.

Furthermore, last month the World Cup winner was the centre of controversy as he missed a training session and, instead, travelled to Saudi Arabia to promote the country’s tourism industry.

Messi, who was given a two-week suspension, apologised and was re-integrated back into PSG's side as they claimed their ninth French top flight title in just 11 years.

But as the Argentine World Cup winner is linked with a move to Inter Miami in the MLS, a highly lucrative deal in Saudi Arabia or a romantic return to Barcelona, the debate will go on as to whether Lionel Messi was a flop for PSG given all the expectations upon his arrival?

So, given Messi's two years in Paris cost the club £50.2m in wages, what do you think?

Have YOUR say now and vote in our poll above.