2023-06-25 10:07:14
Argentine star Lionel Messi, who has recently moved to Inter Miami, spoke about the difficulties he faced during the past two seasons in the French ranks of Paris Saint-Germain, and his great disappointment with the failures in the Champions League.
Messi, who was crowned the Qatar World Cup and celebrated his thirty-sixth birthday on Saturday, touched on his adventure with the Capital Club, which he joined in the summer of 2021, after his sudden departure from Barcelona, Spain, where he spent 17 seasons, in an interview broadcast by BN Sports.
The little “flea” said, “I came to Paris because I liked the club, I had friends in the dressing room (…) It seemed easier for me to adapt than anywhere else I could have gone.”
He added, “In fact, the adaptation process was very difficult, much more than I expected,” because of “a new way to play, new teammates, a new city.”
And the 7-time Golden Ball winner for the best player in the world added, “I arrived late, I did not participate in the pre-season preparations,” and “the beginnings were difficult for me and my family.”
In his first season, Messi scored only 11 goals in 34 matches, and he also contracted the Corona virus while he was in Argentina during the winter break, which forced him to stop “almost completely for a month.”
And Messi succeeded in raising his level at the beginning of the next season until the expected consecration in the World Cup in Qatar with his country in December.
And about that period, he said, “It took longer than expected for me to return to my previous level. This is no excuse but the World Cup played a big part. Some returned late, and some were injured, such as (Brazilian) Neymar,” and “I think in general that the level in the league or the Champions League was affected by the World Cup.”
Saint-Germain contracted Messi with a huge deal to win the most prestigious continental competition after the French club crowned all the local titles, but the failures followed the Argentine and his companions, as Saint-Germain exited the final price round against Real Madrid in 2022 and then against Bayern Munich the following year.
In reaction to this failure, Messi, who ended his French adventure with 32 goals in 75 games in various competitions, became the victim of boos from some of the Parc des Princes fans. ..) But then some fans of the Parisian club treated me differently. The majority treated me well, but the relationship with part of the audience was severed.
“I was lucky to win everything, and this is what will remain at the end of my career,” he concluded.
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