By Promise Eze
Lionel Messi, the Argentine football superstar, is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) when his contract expires at the end of the season, according to a source with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Associated Press.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Messi’s departure was a mutual decision, with his contract effectively allowed to run down since January. The news of Messi’s impending departure comes after PSG suspended the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner following his trip to Saudi Arabia without the club’s permission.
Messi has a commercial contract with Saudi Arabia to promote tourism in the Middle Eastern country and has been linked with a lucrative move there at the end of the season. There has also been talk of a return to Barcelona, where he spent the majority of his career, or to the United States to play in MLS.
Barring a late change of heart from either Messi or PSG, this seems certain to be his final season in the French capital. His suspension and news of his impending exit come at a time when PSG is embroiled in an increasingly fraught French league title race.
“It looks like it will be a disappointing end to a turbulent and somewhat underwhelming two-season spell at a club where soap opera-style drama, on and off the field, is rarely far away given the presence of other superstars like Kylian Mbappe and Neymar in the squad,” said the source.
Messi was supposed to be training alongside his teammates on Monday, but instead, he was in Saudi Arabia, holding a falcon on his arm, watching a palm-weaving demonstration, and looking around the Arabian Horse Museum as part of his commercial contract with the kingdom to promote tourism there. It was an expensive trip for the recent World Cup winner, who won’t get paid or be allowed to train or play with the team during his suspension.
The tensions between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who are Gulf neighbors and fierce recent rivals in regional politics, have become major influencers in the world of soccer, and Messi is right in the middle of it all, through his own making and because everyone – inside and outside the game – wants a piece of one of the all-time greats.
“The Argentina forward never intended to be playing for PSG, a club owned by Qatar Sports Investments, but found himself moving there in 2021 after previous team Barcelona, the soccer love of his life, plunged into financial problems that still persist,” said the source.
Immediately, it thrust Messi into the hands of the Qataris, given that QSI is a subsidiary of the emirate’s sovereign wealth fund, and invited accusations against him of sportswashing.
