Argentine football legend, Lionel Messi has revealed what went wrong between him and fans of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Recall that Messi was heckled by some PSG fans after returning from a two-week suspension he was handed for an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia.
Lionel Messi at a match for PSG. Source: Getty Speaking to RMC, the Argentine footballer noted that there was a section of fans he could not get on board with him. He also acknowledged that both French footballer, Kylian Mbappe and Brazilian star, Neymar have received similar treatment in the past, with the latter targeted by a protest in the 2022/23 season. Messi said; “I came to Paris because I liked the club, because I had friends and a lot of people I knew in the dressing room, teammates from the national team or some I had been with before. “It seemed to me that, beyond what the club was, I was going to have a much easier adaptation than in other teams I could have gone to, so that’s a little bit why I decided to go to the club. “The truth is that it was a very difficult adaptation, much more than I expected. Apart from the fact that I had people I knew in the dressing room and I had relations with them, it was complicated to adapt to a new change. I arrived late, I didn’t have a pre-season. I had to adapt to a new city, which was difficult for my family and for me…. It was complicated. 
Lionel Messi at his last match for PSG. Source: Getty “At first it was great, I received a lot of encouragement as I’ve often said, but then people started to treat me differently, some of the Paris fans. The majority, on the other hand, treated me as well as they did at the start. Then there was a rift with a large section of the Paris crowd. “Afterwards, people started to treat me differently. Part of the PSG crowd, the rest and the majority still treated me as they did at the beginning, but there was a break with the PSG fans. “It wasn’t my intention, far from it, to generate that break. It also happened with Neymar or Mbappe before. “I’ll keep [the memories of] all the people who respected me as I’ve always respected everyone since I arrived.” Messi was able to win two Ligue 1 titles to bring his total career honours haul to a staggering 34 major trophies but a parting of ways did appear inevitable towards the end of 2022-23. Messi then subsequently announced that he would be joining MLS franchise Inter Miami at the end of his contract at PSG. Although the former Barcelona legend struggled to match the form of previous seasons in his first campaign at PSG, his second season was more of a success with the diminutive forward scoring 21 times in 41 appearances in all competitions.
Logos of Chelsea football club and Strasbourg The agreement will also see BlueCo invest in Strasbourg’s first teams and academy while Marc Keller remains the club’s president having been at the helm since 2012 when the club was at risk of being liquidated. Commenting on the recent acquisition, Keller said; “This is an important day for Racing [Club de Strasbourg]. It’s something my shareholder friends and I have been thinking about for the past two years, “We’ve built a club that’s healthy at every level and well managed. Although there was no financial urgency, we were aware that we had reached the ceiling of our model. “If we wanted to continue driving Racing forward and projecting it into a new dimension, we necessarily needed to be accompanied by a solid structure capable of supporting our development and our ambition.” Reports in France have claimed Chelsea are paying €75m (£65m) for their share. The Chelsea owners are also expected to buy shares in a Portuguese club and more teams could be incorporated into the Stamford Bridge outfit’s grand plans. 
The American businessman completed his takeover of the Blues at the end of last May after Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale when he was sanctioned in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Boehly who already co-owns two basketball teams, Los Angeles Sparks and Los Angeles Lakers as well as baseball side Los Angeles Dodgers, is looking to expand his sporting empire and has held talks with Strasbourg’s president Marc Keller, who has been in charge of the French side since 2012, about a potential takeover. According to L’Equipe, Boehly and his partners are interested in buying a 100 per cent stake in Strasbourg. The club is currently plying their trade in the top division of French football and are 15th in the table after winning four of their 24 matches this season. Last September, there were reports that Boehly wanted to explore the possibility of buying a club in Brazil after being turned down by Santos. 