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Former Barcelona star Sergi Roberto once defended Lionel Messi after he was booed by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fans due to the club's poor performance. The Argentine's time at Barcelona came to a disappointing end in August 2021, after he was forced to move to PSG due to the Catalan club's inability to renew his contract amid financial woes and La Liga's FFP rules.
Messi joined the Ligue 1 giants on a free transfer for a two-year contract. Since then, the former Blaugrana legend opened up multiple times about having a difficult time in Paris and allegedly being mistreated by the club. Several of his former teammates came to his defense, including Sergi Roberto.
Shortly after PSG fans booed Messi after the club's 0-2 loss to Rennes in a Ligue 1 home fixture in March 2023, Roberto spoke to journalist Gerard Romero about Leo Messi's unfair treatment at the Parc de Princes.
He said:
“You don't understand that he is having a good season in Paris, scoring many goals, assisting… Because of the [Champions League] elimination they have taken issue with him. But he is a spectacular player and it's bad that a player of this level is treated in this way. Here we are going to treat him very well if he comes.”
Roberto had hoped Messi would return to Barcelona in the summer of 2023 during the aforementioned interview. However, the Argentine legend shifted his base from Paris to the USA and joined MLS side Inter Miami.
Roberto added:
"I hope Messi comes back. We are waiting for him. He does not deserve the treatment he receives in Paris In the end, we don't want to talk a lot because he, the president, the coach or whoever has to decide, but if it's because of the players, we are waiting for him now."
Sergi Roberto and Lionel Messi shared the pitch in 245 games for Barcelona between 2010 and 2021, recording four joint-goal contributions. The former recently left Barca to join Italian side Como this summer, while Leo Messi left PSG in 2023 to join his current club Inter Miami.
"It was a very difficult adaptation" - When former Barcelona star Lionel Messi opened up about his time at PSG
In a June 2023 interview with BeIN Sports, Lionel Messi admitted to having a difficult time adjusting to a new lifestyle in Paris after being forced to leave Barcelona.
The Argentine said:
"The truth is, it was a very difficult adaptation, much more than I expected. Despite having people I knew in the locker room and having a relationship with them, it was difficult to adapt to the new change, arriving late and not having a pre-season."
Messi explained that although PSG fans were initially kind to him, their treatment towards him changed. The change appeared to come after the 2022 FIFA World Cup, when the star forward led Argentina to the title after defeating France in the final.
He continued:
“I think that from the beginning, it was something very nice, like the reception, which I said many times. Then, people started treating me differently, a part of the public of Paris. I think the vast majority continue to see me and treat me as at the beginning but there was a disconnect with a large part of the Paris fans, which obviously was not my intention, far from it."
Lionel Messi scored 32 goals and recorded 35 assists in 75 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain across all competitions between 2021 and 2023.
