Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the chairman of Paris Saint-Germain, has revealed why Lionel Messi was not allowed to parade the World Cup at Parc des Princes.
While remaining at PSG, the former Barcelona playmaker, 36, and the Albiceleste team defeated France in Qatar to win the 2022 World Cup.
Argentina’s star performed admirably throughout the tournament, scoring seven goals for his country.
Messi stated to Miguel Granados on OLGA last year that he ‘wasn’t happy’ at Parc des Princes and was upset with his treatment following the World Cup.
“It was understandable,” he said. “We were in a situation where we [Argentina] were world champions and it was our fault that they [France] weren’t champions once again.”
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Messi and his former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe both scored five goals in a thrilling final in Qatar, as Argentina prevailed on penalties.
Al-Khelaifi has now revealed that he was unable to let Messi celebrate at Parc des Princes because Mbappe was on the losing side.
In an interview with RMC TV, Al-Khelaifi said: “For me, like I said, if anyone talks about the fact that we didn’t celebrate him enough after he won the World Cup, we’re in France and he won against Kylian.
“We are a French club. I don’t want the whole stadium to be against him either. I think we have to respect that.”
Back in September, Al-Khelaifi gave a different version of events following Messi’s interview on OLGA. In quotes carried by Football Espana, he said: “As everyone saw, because we even published a video, we celebrated Messi in training, and we also celebrated him in private.
“But with respect, we are a French club. It was of course sensitive to celebrate at the stadium. We must respect the country he defeated, his teammates on the France team, and our supporters too.”
Messi scored 32 goals in 75 games in the French city, helping the club win back-to-back Ligue 1 crowns.