Nasser Al-Khelaifi shares insights on Lionel Messi’s transition from Barcelona to PSG and challenges at PSG

PSG President Al-Khelaifi discussed the challenges faced by the club in recent years, especially concerning Lionel Messi's time at PSG.

Chirag

January 10, 2024

Al Khelafi Reveals Why Lionel Messi Was Not Comfortable At Psg — Sebastien Muylaert/Getty Images

In a comprehensive interview with RMC, Al-Khelaifi reflected on the difficulties faced in recent seasons at a club where achieving European success has been challenging, despite amassing a wealth of talent in Paris.

Specifically addressing Messi’s tenure at Parc des Princes, Al-Khelaifi highlighted why the Argentine maestro couldn’t replicate his Barcelona success.

Talking to former PSG midfielder Jerome Rothen, Al-Khelaifi emphasized, “I’ll say one thing about Messi, he’s the best player in the world and the best player in history. It wasn’t easy for him to come here after a few years, you have to look at Barcelona. There, everything was for Messi: the players, the coaches and the management. He comes here and it’s not the same thing, we also have other players, we have Kylian and also Neymar.”

During his two seasons in France, Messi secured the Ligue 1 title twice and displayed a commendable goal-scoring record. However, despite winning a World Cup with Argentina while at PSG, it seemed Messi couldn’t quite replicate his peak performances in Paris.

PSG suffered early exits from the Champions League during Messi’s tenure, bowing out in the round of 16 against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, exposing significant team imbalances.

With Neymar and Messi having departed, Al-Khelaifi faces a tense period attempting to convince the sole remaining member of that famed attacking trio to stay. Mbappe’s contract is set to expire soon, allowing negotiations with other clubs, notably Real Madrid. Al-Khelaifi also expressed his desire to see the French captain continue his journey with PSG in the future.