Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi reveals how he annoyed his neighbours during difficult spell with PSG

Lionel Messi suffered a mixed time at Paris Saint-Germain and he revealed it wasn’t just fans who were annoyed with him but also his neighbours.

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WHAT HAPPENED?

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner made the sensational move to Paris from Barcelona in 2021, after the Catalans failed to register him due to their economic issues. What followed was not what PSG fans were hoping for as Messi struggled with fitness and form at Parc des Princes. He has now revealed that his children playing football in the backyard also annoyed his neighbours who would complain.

WHAT MESSI SAID

Speaking to ESPN in an interview, Messi said: “In Paris, the [neighbours] knocked on the door at nine or ten o’clock in the evening to say that my kids shouldn’t be playing football. The neighbours bothered us […] it played a lot on my mind and that had an effect on the pitch. In Paris, on a personal level, I wasn’t good.”

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

Messi also made it clear that it was unfortunate that things did not go as well as he would have liked before he left the club at the end of his contract in 2023, joining Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami. He said: “I have nothing against them but unfortunately, it didn’t go as I had hoped. Personally, I struggled with the change; it was very difficult for us. It really affected me personally. When I was in Paris, the best thing that happened to me was becoming World Champion (with Argentina)”.

WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?

The man who is arguably the greatest footballer of his generation, if not all time, maintains that he has completed everything that he ever wanted to do in football after the World Cup win in Qatar. He will now lead Argentina in the Copa America in the United States in what could be his final international tournament. La Albiceleste begin their campaign with a clash against Canada on June 20.