Lionel Messi has announced his departure from Paris Saint-Germain in an official statement.
Messi’s contract is set to expire on June 30, and it was widely expected that he would leave the Parc des Princes, which the Ligue 1 giants have now confirmed.
“After two seasons in the French capital, Leo Messi’s adventure with Paris Saint-Germain will come to an end at the end of the 2022-23 season,” began their Saturday evening correspondence.
“The club extends its heartfelt congratulations to the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who also won a Trophée des Champions and two Ligue 1 titles with Les Rouge et Bleu.”
PSG went on to say that they were “proud to have had the greatest footballer of all time within its ranks” and wished Messi “many more successes for the rest of his career” with “some emotion.”
Messi expressed gratitude to the club, “the city of Paris, and its people” in the same statement. I wish you the best of luck in the future.”
Messi made similar comments to ESPN earlier on Saturday, indicating that he will seek a new challenge next season.
“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to represent PSG,” he stated. “I had a great time playing on this team and with such talented players.” I’d like to thank the club for a wonderful time in Paris.”
#MerciMessi 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/TDqIepDo2F
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) June 3, 2023
PSG chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi expressed gratitude to Messi for leading the club to 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,” the Qatari said.
“His contribution to PSG and Ligue 1 cannot be overstated, and we wish Leo and his family the best of luck in the future.”
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 arranged before becoming a free agent at the end of the month. This weekend, SPORT reported that Al-Hilal wishes to announce Messi’s transfer on June 6.
