PSG president hits back at Lionel Messi over World Cup comment as 'respect' claim made

Paris Saint Germain president Nasser Al Khelaifi has hit back at Lionel Messi over the Argentine’s World Cup claims.

Back in December 2022, Messi inspired Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar after a pulsating final against France.

However, Messi claimed during a recent interview that he was the only member of the Argentina squad to not be honoured by his club.

He told ESPN Argentina: “I was the only player of the [squad] that didn’t get a [club] recognition.

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

Now, PSG president Al Khelaifi has hit back at Messi’s claims.

He told French news outlet RMC Sport: “As everyone saw, because we even published a video, we celebrated Messi in training, and we also celebrated him in private.

“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.”

As shown by a video posted by PSG back in January, Messi was given a guard of honour by both players and staff as he returned to training with the Parc des Princes club.

Getty

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner subsequently left PSG in the summer as he ditched European football altogether by signing for MLS outfit Inter Miami.

During the interview with ESPN Argentina, Messi also spoke about his future with Argentina, he said: “I do think about the Copa América [in 2024],” he said. “After the Copa América we will see, it depends on how I feel. I will see how I feel day by day, there are three years to go.

“I don’t notice if my level of play is declining, I stop and play as always. But there is a reality: I’m older, I have a thousand games behind me, and time passes for everyone.”

SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated news channel to send you the latest news, features and plenty more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.