LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Lionel Messi has described his debut at his old team Paris Saint-Germain as “very tough” and two back-to-back unsuccessful Champions League bids as a “massive disappointment”.
“I came to Paris because I liked the club, because I had friends in the dressing room… it seemed easier for me to adapt rather than another destination I could have gone to,” Messi told beIN Sports in an interview broadcast Sunday.
“In reality, it was a very tough adaptation, much harder than I expected… with a new gameplan, new teammates, a new city.
“I arrived late, I didn’t have a pre-season. The start was difficult for me, my family.”
Messi, 36, left Barcelona in the summer of 2021 to join PSG, but he will now move to the United States to play for Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer.
Having contracted Covid during the winter break in Argentina and being out for a month made Messi’s rookie season, in which he scored 11 goals in 34 games for PSG, more difficult.
“It took me time to refind my physical form,” he admitted, adding that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar — which Messi won with Argentina — also took its toll.
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“It’s not an excuse but the World Cup played a big role. Some came back later than others, some were injured, like Neymar.
“I think, generally, the level of Ligue 1 and the Champions League was affected by the World Cup.”
Messi stated it was a “massive disappointment” to lose the Champions League to Bayern Munich this year and Real Madrid in 2022.
Even several PSG supporters turned against Messi, whistling at him from the stands.
“At first, it was amazing; I got lots of positive reinforcement… But subsequently, some of the Parisian fanbase behaved differently toward me.
“The bulk of people were kind to me, but there was a rift with some of the populace,” he confessed.
