Topics: Lionel Messi, Barcelona, La Liga, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, Lyon
Lionel Messi's reaction when a section of fans inside the Parc des Princes 'booed and whistled' his name on Sunday night speaks volumes.
The 35-year-old forward, who has been strongly linked with a return to former club Barcelona in recent weeks, was hit by whistles of discontent ahead of their Ligue 1 clash against Lyon.
When his name was announced in the line-up, some fans inside the 80,000 capacity stadium made their not-so-welcome feelings known, although the Argentine didn't exactly look too bothered by the negative reaction.
PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe, meanwhile, received loud cheers when his name was read out by the announcer.
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Spanish journalist Dani Gil, who was in attendance on Sunday, recorded the fan reaction. He said: “The fracture with the stands is unquestionable at this stage of the season, increased by rumours of his possible return to Barcelona.”
Paris Saint-Germain went on to lose the Ligue 1 clash after a 56th minute strike from highly-rated forward Bradley Barcola.
But the negative reaction to Messi's appearance at the Parc des Princes sparked a huge debate amongst fans and pundits.
Speaking to Amazon Prime Video after the game, former Barcelona teammate Thierry Henry said it was "embarrassing" to hear whistles from the stadium.
“You can’t whistle one of the best players on the team, who has 13 goals and 13 assists this season," he said.
"Personally, I would like to see him finish his career at Barcelona, in Europe. After that, I don’t know what he will do. Because the way he left Barcelona after everything he did… I didn’t really like it.
"For the love of football, he should go back to Barcelona."
PSG manager Christophe Galtier also condemned the whistles in his post-match comments.
"I find it harsh," he said. "We're just waiting for Leo and Kylian [Mbappe] to unlock the game.
"Leo is our creator, so he tries a lot and automatically has a lot of waste, but around Leo, you need to look at the function of the players. We can't expect everything from Leo and Kylian. Leo tried and succeeded in some things, mismatches or otherwise, but he also missed link-ups with his teammates.
"These whistles are unfair in my opinion because Messi gave a lot in the first part of the season. He's a passer and scorer in 2023. It's also up to the others to do more and bring more danger."
Messi's future remains in the air with his contract set to expire at the end of the season. That being said, Barcelona’s vice president Rafael Yuste said they have made contact with Messi and his representatives.
He said, as per The Guardian: “Leo and his family know the affection I have for them.
“I participated in the negotiations which unfortunately did not lead to a certain result. I’ve always had and I have this thorn in my side that Leo couldn’t continue at our club.
“Messi knows how much we appreciate him. I would love for him to come back. We’re in contact, of course, with them.”
