Intimate enemy: Lionel Messi against his PSG teammates in the Qatar 2022 final

The Eiffel Tower shone for Lionel Messi: the lighting of the ‘Iron Lady’ in homage to the sevenfold Ballon d’Or, in November 2021, summarizes the affectionate ties between France and the Argentine from Paris SG, who will challenge his country tomorrow adoption in the 2022 World Cup final.

For a long time, Messi was linked to Barcelona, ​​where he arrived at the age of 13, and to Spain, which even tried to convince him to play for La Roja.

But in August 2021 what seemed impossible happened: Barça, with great financial difficulties, was unable to renew the contract of the Argentine star and PSG, on the prowl, managed to convince the Rosario to play in the French capital with a huge contract.

Messi in Ligue 1, who would have thought? In Reims, for his debut in the Parisian jersey, in Clermont or Ajaccio, the public flocks to admire the icon.

“It’s a league that has improved in recent years, thanks also to the drive from PSG. It makes the whole league more competitive,” Messi analyzed.

In Paris, the Argentine won new titles (Ligue 1, Champions Trophy), put together a fearsome attack with Neymar Mbappé (the ‘MNM’ trio) and won his seventh Ballon d’Or in 2021 at the Châtelet Theater.

The adaptation of the superstar and his family to the new environment took a few months, the time necessary for them to find a house in Neuilly-sur-Seine, more suitable than the grand Parisian hotel where the Argentine first discovered the lure of the capital… and its jams.
His contract runs until June 2023, with the option to renew for another year, but Messi (35 years old) has already said that he will not decide his future until after the World Cup in Qatar.

Messi and the French
In Paris, the Argentine has found a very international and Spanish-speaking dressing room, where even Kylian Mbappé speaks perfect Spanish. Messi had already praised him in 2017, including him on the list of players “who can aspire” to the Ballon d’Or.

Before that, Messi met many Frenchmen at Barça: Ludovic Giuly, Lilian Thuram, Thierry Henry, Eric Abidal, Jeremy Mathieu, Lucas Digne, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet, Ousmane Dembélé, Antoine Griezmann…

None of them developed a special relationship with ‘Leo’, except perhaps Dembélé, whom he took under his protection.