Messi’s contract runs until the end of the season, but the reigning Ligue 1 champions are looking to keep the Argentina captain beyond the summer.
PSG are in talk with Messi
Paris Saint-Germain advisor Luis Campos admitted that the club had talked with Lionel Messi about a potential contract extension. Messi’s contract runs until the end of the season, but the reigning Ligue 1 champions are looking to keep the Argentina captain beyond the summer. “At the moment, we are in talks with Messi for a contract extension,” Campos told reporters. I want to keep it in this project; I can’t hide it. We are now discussing achieving this goal and keeping it with us.” Campos also shared an anecdote from the game against Montpellier, where PSG scored three after the break to capture all three points. “I remember what he said Messi midway against Montpellier: “You have to drag everyone else with you,” Campos recalled. “He replied, ‘Don’t worry. And he had an exceptional second half.”
‘Big stars alone can’t win a trophy’
Campos acknowledged that PSG needed to put together a compact side to win important trophies. “Big stars alone can’t win a trophy,” he continued. “They can win one match, two matches or several matches. But they need others; they need harmony. We’ve come a long way, but we must keep moving forward.” Neymar was at the end of the criticism over his attitude. Still, Campos stressed that the Brazil international had not caused any problems since the arrival of the PSG advisor last summer. “The truth is that since my arrival at PSG, I have no criticism to make about Neymar,” said Campos. “Always punctual, always in a good mood. This Neymar is an incredible Neymar.”
Kylian Mbappe picked up an injury against Montpellier and is set to take a backseat for three weeks, with Campos acknowledging that PSG will miss out on their star. “Losing Kylian is hard, of course,” Campos said. “I saw him very sad after the injury. But I also saw how he worked today to speed up his recovery as soon as possible. That’s the personality of the winners.”
Leo is an essential engine for the team
Both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe missed Paris Saint-Germain’s game against Toulouse, but Lionel Messi stepped up again to lead his team to a 2-1 victory on home soil. Achraf Hakimi equalized in the first half after Branco van den Boomen gave Toulouse the lead before Messi scored for the second consecutive time to help PSG secure all three points. His coach Christophe Galtier was full of praise for Messi at the post-match press conference. Galtier revealed he gave the Argentina captain some leeway by calling on his teammates to do the dirty work to help him shine. “Messi is a significant engine for us, scoring a goal and creating other chances,” said the PSG coach. I ask the team to play and work for Messi. We relieve him of certain tasks to make him comfortable.”
“His teammates will have to redouble their efforts to recover and create a movement for him to filter passes, something so scarce in today’s football, in such tight spaces.”