August last year was the most bittersweet month of Messi’s career, forcing him to reluctantly say goodbye to Barcelona. Without even expecting it. His tears at his farewell were a reflection of the state of mind of the fans, who felt bereft overnight, as if the shield had been ripped from the shirt. Unable to return, the Rosario player had no choice but to hope. On the horizon, PSG.
It didn’t take long for Al Khelaifi to have a contract drawn up in line with Messi’s cache. With no option to continue at the Camp Nou, he chose to reunite with Neymar in a team with the same ambition: the Champions League. PSG, careful in every detail of its presentation, arranged seven interviews with prominent international media to give it more impact. He also invited Ibai Llanos, another strategic move to enhance the club’s brand.
The change for Messi was sudden, and the acclimatization was not easy. Waiting to find a home, he stayed with his family in a hotel a few meters from the Arc de Triomphe until November, with security at every entrance and exit. That routine became heavy. For three months, Le Royal Monceau was bunkered down, with the press and fans waiting to catch a glimpse of him before or after every training session or any PSG match.
The passage of time puts everything in its place. Today marks a year since Leo’s PSG debut at Stade de Reims, a game that was broadcast around the world for the novelty of seeing him in a different shirt. His first period of the season was irregular, punctuated by a knee injury that required treatment in Madrid. Later, infected with the Delta variant of COVID, he spent almost two months without playing due to a lung infection.
Although Messi never lost confidence in his game, he felt the impatience of the fans who always demanded more from him. And, despite the fact that the season at PSG was marked by a sad outcome in a Champions League in which he scored five goals, his performance increased. He played more minutes in the turn of the year, distributed more assists and had more weight in the game of the champion, which this year again has a great Leo.
Source: La Verdad
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