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The events of the past week have rushed forward a conclusion that many predicted. On Monday, Messi went to Saudi Arabia. That, in itself, was not too surprising — he is an ambassador for the country, having signed a lucrative agreement to promote tourism.
As The Athletic has previously reported, his Paris Saint-Germain contract enables him to agree to whatever sponsorship deals he likes.
Lionel Messi’s two-week suspension by Paris Saint-Germain marks the beginning of the end. There is surely no way back now for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner in the French capital.
A line has been drawn, and relationships are expected to be severed this summer.
PSG were supposed to be training on Monday.
The plan for the men’s first team this week was published after the disappointing defeat by
Lorient on Sunday night, and it detailed that the squad would be in for training on Monday, with a rest day on Tuesday.
Monday was a national bank holiday in France, known as Labour Day, but the dismal display at the Parc des Princes necessitated a post-mortem,
Messi was not there, and he had not been granted approval to travel, either.
L’Equipe first reported this development, detailing that Messi had postponed the trip twice before and his plan had been accepted when the players were due to have two days off this week.
That changed, however, following the Lorient defeat, and Messi was said to have found the trip impossible to postpone.
For PSG, as a club, such indulgence has been allowed to fester for too long and it has been their downfall
The dressing room has held too much sway in recent seasons and it has proven to be untameable for some of the game’s best managers. Galtier is just the latest in a long line to struggle with its power dynamics.
Even now, this remains a club constructed around Kylian Mbappe.
PSG want the France captain to be their centrepiece, to focus on young French talent with the former Monaco star at the heart of the project.
But this past season already bears his hallmark
The appointment of sporting director Luis Campos and, by association, Galtier stemmed partly from Mbappe’s contract negotiation last summer.
His recent public outburst on social media about a marketing video, which he disliked, only emphasised his own influence at the club.
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