Messi-PSG: return to a grey memory: "I wasn't happy in my day-to-day life"

Lionel Messi will play on Sunday, for the first time in his career, against a former team, a new sensation in the Argentine's life. And it will not be just any reunion. It will be against the team where he had the worst time in his career, and where he had the worst goals-to-games ratio (32 in 75), not even a goal every two games, something unusual in his career.

Leo (nor his family) were happy in Paris, where they never adapted. "It was -he acknowledged recently- two years that I did not enjoy, I was not happy in the day to day. They were not good for me. I was not satisfied with any day, with the training, with the matches. It was very difficult for me to adapt," he said.

"From the beginning, it was very nice the reception. But then people started to treat me differently, a part of the public in Paris. There was a break with much of the fans, obviously it was not my intention, it happened that way, as previously happened with Mbappe and Neymar, too. I know it's their way of acting," he said.

It was two seasons (21-22 and 22-23) in the, curiously, best period of his life at national team level. With Argentina, as a Paris player, he was Copa America champion (summer 2021), World Cup champion (2022) and Finalissima champion (2022).

But with PSG he could only achieve three trophies (two leagues and one Super Cup). Internationally, PSG fell in both seasons in the round of 16 (against Real Madrid and Bayern)

In May 2023, the darkest episode came. PSG lost at home to Lorient and Leo, on a trip he had already planned and had postponed some time ago, went to Saudi Arabia for an advertising commitment. PSG saw his absence and argued indiscipline and sanctioned him financially and without training... knowing that the change of training had been (almost) with Leo on the plane. In the background of this was the renewal of LM's contract, which expired a month later. Qatar (through Luis Campos) wanted to renew the Argentine for two years yes or yes and now... but Leo (through Jorge, his father) asked them to know more details of the new project 23-24. Leo did not trust them. In that disconnection and after that rejection, came, coincidentally (or not so much), the sanction, something unprecedented because Messi has never missed, without permission, a training session of his team. Even so, Leo apologised in a video on his social networks. It was the saddest episode of two sad years.

And so, between sporting dissatisfaction and general malaise, his time at PSG came to an end. It was a Parisian life that looked good (a great team with Neymar, Sergio Ramos, Mbappe...), but the ultras ended up making it ugly with whistles in the line-ups and some other ugly gestures. So it was best that it ended as it did, with Messi not renewing his contract. Now the Messi family is happy in Miami.

The relationship between the two, which will continue this Sunday in the round of 16, has continued. Last Tuesday, with Leo turning 38, came the birthday greeting from PSG: "Happy birthday Leo! See you on Sunday".

The Parisian club also had a great gesture through its 'boss'.Nasser Al Khelaifi said this recently, after winning the Champions League with Luis Enrique: "I am very proud of the team, but I would also like to honestly thank all the players, the first ones we signed... Javier Pastore was in our project, our former captain Thiago Silva, Zlatan, Cavani, Thiago Motta... All of them, honestly, Di Maria, everyone. And I will say something really important, even Neymar, Messi, Kylian...to thank them for what they also did for the club, I will never forget it. They were part of the success. It was really important to have that past to get to today".