French football club Paris Saint-Germain announced on Saturday that its forward Lionel Messi will be leaving after the final Ligue 1 match on Saturday.
“After two seasons in the French capital, Leo Messi’s adventure with Paris Saint-Germain will come to an end at the conclusion of the 2022–23 campaign,” PSG said in a statement.
“The club would like to extend its warmest thanks to the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who also lifted a Trophée des Champions and two Ligue 1 titles with Les Rouge et Bleu,” it added
Messi’s departure was first announced by media earlier in the day, before all reports were deleted.
Messi was quoted as saying in the PSG’s official press statement that he wished the club “all the best for the future.”
PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi said it had been a pleasure to see a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner winning back-to-back Ligue 1 titles, stressing that his contribution to the club and Ligue 1 could not be understated.
French media reported last month that Paris Saint-Germain decided not to extend Messi’s contract for another term following his unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia. The Telegraph reported that Messi’s representatives and Riyadh were negotiating a multimillion-dollar deal to have Messi play in the Saudi Pro League.
Messi won the World Cup in Qatar as Argentina captain in December 2022 for the first time in his career and was named the best player of the championship.
