PSG chief Al-Khelaifi criticises Messi for lacking ‘respect’

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has criticized Lionel Messi for his lack of “respect” towards the French club following his departure in June 2023.

The Argentina captain said in September that he was unhappy that PSG had not honored him after his World Cup exploits.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (US)

“He’s not a bad guy but I don’t like it,” Al-Khelaifi told RMC Sport. “I will say, not just for him but for everyone, we talk when we're here, not when we're gone. It's not our style… I have great respect for him [Messi] but if someone wants to talk bad about Paris Saint-Germain afterwards, it's not good. That’s not respect.”

Messi scored twice in the final in Qatar and also converted a penalty in the penalty shootout as Argentina won 4-2 on penalties against France in the 2022 World Cup.

If anyone says we didn't celebrate him enough after his World Cup win, we're in France and he won against [France and PSG star] Kylian [Mbappé]” said Al-Khelaïfi.

“We are a French club. I don't want the whole stadium to be against him either.”

Al-Khelaifi admitted that Messi struggled to adapt to Paris after leaving Barcelona in the summer of 2021.

“I will say one thing about Messi, the best player in the world and the best player in history,” Al-Khelaïfi said. “It wasn't easy for him to come here… After Barcelona. There [in Barcelona], everything was for Messi: the players, the coaches and the management. He comes here and it's not the same, we also have other players, we have Kylian and also Neymar.”

Al-Khelaifi, meanwhile, said that Gabriel Moscardo's transfer to PSG was on hold.

Sources told ESPN in December that PSG had agreed a €20 million ($21.9 million) deal with Corinthians to sign the teenage midfielder for a fee of around €20 million.

Moscardo, 18, recently announced he would undergo surgery on his left foot that would sideline him for three months.

“He’s a fantastic player,” Al-Khelaïfi said of Moscardo. “We really believe in him and his potential. He is injured and needs an operation, so we have to take care of that as well. We are in a bit of an uncomfortable situation with him because we can't take the risk of taking an injured player. We have to wait. This is the current situation.”