Paris Saint-Germain anunță că Lionel Messi va părăsi clubul

Paris Saint-Germain have announced that Lionel Messi will leave the club through an official statement.

Messi’s contract is set to expire on June 30, and it was widely expected that he wouldn’t continue at the Parc des Princes – a development which has now been confirmed by the Ligue 1 giants.

“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,” began their correspondence published on Saturday evening.

“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.”

PSG added that they were “proud to have had the greatest footballer of all time within its ranks” and, “with some emotion”, wished Messi “many more successes for the rest of his career”.

In the same statement, Messi said he wanted to thank the club, “the city of Paris, and its people for these two years. I wish you all the best for the future”.

Earlier on Saturday to ESPN, Messi made similar remarks that communicated he will seek a fresh challenge next term.

“I am happy to have been able to represent PSG,” he claimed. “I really enjoyed playing on this team and with such good players. I want to thank the club for a wonderful experience in Paris.”

PSG chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi showed his gratitude to Messi for two seasons which brought back-to-back Ligue 1 titles.

“To see a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner in the Rouge & Bleu and at Parc des Princes, winning back-to-back Ligue 1 titles and inspiring our younger players, has been a pleasure,” revealed the Qatari.

“His contribution to Paris Saint-Germain and Ligue 1 cannot be understated and we wish Leo and his family all the best for the future.”

Ahead of becoming a free agent at the end of the month, Messi is expected to have a return to FC Barcelona or a switch to either Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia or Inter Miami in the MLS already arranged.

Acest week-end, SPORT reported that Al-Hilal wish to announce Messi’s transfer on June 6.