His arrival at PSG was a triumph, and his departure from the Qatari billionaires’ club is a disaster and an insult to Lionel Messi’s footballing genius. The multiple Golden Ball record-holder leaves the image of a brilliant player, unhappy at PSG.

Qatar’s PSG has shattered the image of a romantic Paris. Leo Messi came to Paris expecting to find love, only to find hatred, insults and ingratitude. After more than two seasons in the French league, it’s fair to say it’s been a failure.  PSG decided not to extend the Argentine world champion’s contract. His short stay in Paris is also the failure of a club that confuses sporting policy with marketing.

Leo Messi’s contract with PSG probably expired on May 2. The Parisian pseudo-presidency decided to suspend its striker because of a trip to Saudi Arabia made without the club’s approval. The day before, after a crushing 1-3 home defeat to Lorient in Ligue 1, Messi had missed training, preferring to fly to Riyadh to promote the tourist office of Saudi Arabia, Qatar’s neighbour and rival, and PSG’s owner. On May 8, three days after apologizing to his team-mates and the Parisian club on social networks, Messi, soon to be 36, was back in training, but the rupture was consummated as PSG fans, stirred up by social networks and the stupidity of several French journalists, chanted insulting remarks about Lionel Messi.

For PSG, it remains a marketing success, as their revenues have exploded since the arrival of Lionel Messi in 2021. But Parisian fans expect trophies, not money in the PSG coffers, which are already filled by Qatar’s endless pockets.

The PSG club has to be rebuilt without Messi, and Lionel Messi will continue his career in Miami, where he is expected to be a star.

But how hard it is to be a champion at the end of one’s career, Cristiano Ronaldo knows all about it, because in Saudi Arabia, he is insulted every day by angry fans.