Paris Saint-Germain chairman, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has explained the reason behind the French club’s decision not to celebrate Lionel Messi after his World Cup victory with Argentina last year.
This development follows Messi’s recent interview where he criticized the club for not acknowledging his World Cup win. In the final, Messi netted two goals, securing Argentina’s victory over France and clinching the tournament.
“I was the only player of the 25 that didn’t get a [club] recognition.”
“It was understandable … because of us [Argentina], they [France] didn’t retain the World Cup,” Messi said.
Nevertheless, Al-Khelaifi contradicted Messi’s version of the events.
“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,” Al-Khalaifi told reporters.