Lionel Messi played his last game for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in a home defeat on Saturday against Clermont in the Ligue 1. The fans’ jeers overshadowed Messi’s incredible contribution to PSG and French football, according to the club’s president, Nasser al-Khelaifi. The game had little significance, as PSG had already secured their record 11th Ligue 1 title the previous week. Kylian Mbappe remained eager to clinch his fifth consecutive Ligue 1 top scorer title with 29 league goals this season. His partner, goalkeeper Sergio Rico, suffered severe injuries after a horse-riding accident last week, prompting Mbappe to dedicate his 29th goal to him, holding up his jersey.
Sergio Ramos, who recently confirmed his departure from PSG, marked his final appearance by scoring, heading in a Vitinha cross for the opener in the 16th minute. However, Mbappe’s penalty goal made it 2-0, and Giovanni Gastien pounced on a Marco Verratti mistake to pull a goal back for Clermont. Grejohn Kyei missed a penalty for the visitors, but they managed to equalise just before half-time stoppage, thanks to Mehdi Zeffane, who scored from close range after Gianluigi Donnarumma spilled the ball. In the second half, Kyei netted from a diagonal cross with his knee, making the victory a memorable one for Clermont, who finished eighth in the season.
Although Messi has had a profound impact on PSG and French football, his name still drew jeers from a section of PSG supporters during the match. The Argentine World Cup victor’s move from PSG after two seasons was finally confirmed by the club in a statement before the game. Despite this, PSG and Ligue 1 fans will undoubtedly miss Messi’s talent in the future.
