Soccer fans agree with PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s response to Lionel Messi’s World Cup celebration claim

Football is undeniably a sport filled with intense emotions and sensitivities, capable of provoking even the most loyal fans to change their allegiance in a heartbeat. The passion and fervour that surround football can lead to powerful and sometimes unexpected shifts in support and loyalty among fans. To put this into perspective, Lionel Messi achieved World Cup glory in Qatar over France, and in the course of events he lost his admiration among PSG fans who are also French.

Lionel Messi reached a momentous milestone by guiding his national team, Argentina, to victory in the 2022 World Cup, putting an end to a series of past letdowns. The Argentine captain felt that he did not get the warm reception he was expecting from the PSG fanbase.

PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s response to Lionel Messi’s World Cup celebration claim

Following their win over France in the finals, a special guard of honour was organized to acknowledge Messi’s World Cup triumph. However, upon his return to PSG, it appeared that the World champion may not have been entirely satisfied with the reception he received.

Messi rarely grants interviews, but in a recent one with ESPN, he emphasised that he was the only World Cup winner their team did not celebrate.

“I was the only player of the [squad] that didn’t get a [club] recognition”, said Messi.

Quite contrary to the World Cup winner’s assertion, a video had earlier surfaced on the internet following Messi’s return to the PSG squad after the World Cup. The clip reveals that the PSG team stood a guard of honour for the Argentine when he finally returned to training after his World Cup victory. Because of this clip, some football fans believe that Messi’s claims are somewhat baseless.

Lionel Messi felt that the post-World Cup animosity stemmed from Argentina’s victory over France in the finals. This adds an intriguing dimension to the situation, given that it was Messi himself, in his role as Argentina’s captain, who played a significant role in orchestrating their triumph over France in Qatar, scoring twice in that memorable 3-3 thriller.

“It was understandable … because of us [Argentina], they didn’t retain the World Cup”, he added.

On Saturday, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the chairman and CEO of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), refuted Lionel Messi’s account of the events surrounding his return to the club.

“As everyone saw, because we even published a video, we celebrated Messi in training, and we also celebrated him in private”, Al-Khalaifi told reporters.

“But with respect, we are a French club. It was, of course, sensitive to celebrate at the stadium. We must respect the country he defeated, his teammates on the France team, and our supporters too.”

Soccer fans agree with PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s Lionel Messi response

PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi emphasised the need for diplomacy in the celebration of Lionel Messi and Argentina’s World Cup victory over France last year. The PSG President explained that PSG is a French team, hence they deserved some respect while Messi was being celebrated for winning the World Cup.

Lionel Messi, who was originally instrumental in France’s 2022 World Cup defeat, expected a warm reception on his return from the World Cup, but he only got a guard of honour, as revealed in a video, and the fans indeed believe that it was insensitive for Messi to ask for me, considering the status of the club he played for.

A football fan on X said, “Even Messi understood why he didn’t get a very big celebration since he won the final against France. But you saying he got nothing is a lie.”

Another football fan on X reiterated that “Messi wanted a whole stadium full of French people to celebrate his win against France lol.”

To be candid, Lionel Messi’s reception following his World Cup win may not have been the best compared to his fellow Argentine teammates. However, the recognition he got was also ‘something’ considering PSG’s status as a French club.