Lionel Messi Says PSG Didn't Give Him Recognition For FIFA World Cup Win

Lionel Messi said that he was the only World Cup winner who wasn't recognised by his club, taking a dig at his former side Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

Lionel Messi was apparently never honoured by PSG after he returned from his FIFA World Cup winning campaign with Argentina.

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Inter Miami star and Argentina legend Lionel Messi has taken a dig at his former club Paris Saint-Germain in a recent interview. Messi said that the Ligue 1 giants did not give him recognition after he returned after winning the FIFA World Cup with Argentina. Notably, Messi left PSG in the summer transfer window for a stint in the Major League Soccer (MLS). Messi was part of the Paris club from 2021-23. 

The 36-year-old made this remark in an interview with a Spanish livestreaming YouTube channel. It was during the course of this interaction that he discussed his time at PSG especially he led Argentina to a win over France in the FIFA World Cup final in Qatar.

"I was the only player on the entire Argentine team that his club didn’t recognise. But that’s okay. But it is also understandable that I was in the country against which we had won the final and prevented them from winning the World Cup again. The truth is, I had a nice relationship with him (France star Kylian Mbappe) and with everyone else there," the 36-year-old, who is currently recovering from an injury, told OLGA en Vivo.

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"I always say things happen for a reason," Messi said. "It wasn’t always good, but I won the World Cup while there."

Even though there have been reports which suggest that Messi might have already played his last World Cup, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has not yet ruled out the possibility.

"I want to arrive to the next Copa America in good condition then I will see depending on how I am. I’m not thinking about the next World Cup yet. The years have passed and we have to see how I feel, I will see it day by day," he said.