France striker Lionel Messi continued to be booed by fans in PSG's 2-3 loss to Clermont in the final round of Ligue 1.
In a pre-match press conference, coach Christopher Galtier confirmed that Messi will leave in the summer of 2023. The Argentine star's contract with PSG will expire on June 30, 2023, with an option to extend for another year, but it was not activated.
In a press release on PSG's website, Messi thanked the club, the city of Paris and the fans for the journey over the past two years, and wished PSG all the best for the future. Chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi said it was an honor to see the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner play for two years at the Parc des Princes and inspire young players.
Messi and teammates leave the field after the loss to Clermont on June 3. Photo: AFP
However, in his last match for PSG yesterday, Messi did not have a beautiful farewell to PSG . At Parc des Princes, many fans were worried when Messi's name was called in the starting lineup. The 35-year-old striker has experienced similar situations since being suspended for going to Saudi Arabia without the club's permission, or being eliminated from the Champions League by Bayern.
Messi also failed to score or assist against Clermont, ending the season with 16 goals and 16 assists in 32 Ligue 1 games this season. No player in Europe's top five leagues has scored and assisted more than 15 times. He has also scored four and assisted four goals in seven Champions League games.
In total, Messi scored 32 and assisted 35 goals in 75 games in all competitions for PSG in the past two seasons, winning two Ligue 1 titles and a French Super Cup. Messi's best achievement in these two seasons was not with PSG, but when he won the World Cup with Argentina for the first time in his career.
Ramos jumped high to head the ball to open the scoring for PSG. Photo: psg.fr
Ramos (No. 4) shares joy with Mbappe (No. 7) and Hakimi (No. 2). In this match, all PSG players took to the field wearing the jersey of Sergio Rico - his goalkeeper teammate who is in critical condition after a horse accident. Photo: psg.fr
Yesterday's match against Clermont was also Sergio Ramos' last match in a PSG shirt. Like Messi, the Spanish centre-back joined PSG as a free agent in the summer of 2021, but his contribution was limited due to injury. In total, he only scored five goals and made one assist in 57 matches.
At the Parc des Princes yesterday, PSG started perfectly, leading by two goals after less than half an hour of play. In the 16th minute, Vitinha crossed the ball into the penalty area for Ramos to head the ball across the corner, leaving goalkeeper Mory Diaw rooted to the spot.
Five minutes later, Achraf Hakimi was fouled by Alidu Seidu in the box and won the home team a penalty. From the 11m mark, captain Kylian Mbappe kicked the ball to the right corner, while Diaw dived to the left, doubling the gap.
But then, Johan Gastien, Mehdi Zeffane and Grejohn Kyei scored to help Clermont win 3-2 at the Parc des Princes. The result did not affect the final result, as PSG won Ligue 1 and Clermont finished eighth.
Main events of the match PSG 2-3 Clermont.
Line-up :
PSG : Donnarumma (Letellier 80), Ramos, Hakimi, Bitshiabu (Marquinhos 80), Verratti, Danilo (Gharbi 89), Vitinha (Sanches 58), Zaire-Emery, Messi, Mbappe, Ekitike (Soler 57).
Clermont : Diaw, Zeffane (Allevinah 46), Wieteska, Caufriez, Neto Borges (Ogier 88), Seidu, Gastien, Gonalons (Magnin 69), Rashani, Cham (Khaoui 69), Kyei (Andric 84).
Hong Duy
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