A year ago
Lionel Messi's decision to leave Paris Saint-Germain has had a huge impact on the Ligue 1 giants after losing a large following on social media.
After two years of relatively mediocre performance compared to Messi's high standards, the 35-year-old revealed midweek that he will be leaving PSG at the end of the season.
After months of booing and speculation linking him to a return to Barcelona or following Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia, it really comes as no surprise.
And the end came on Saturday night, when Christophe Galtier's team ended the season with a home defeat to Clermont Foot, after a 2-0 lead.
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The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner faced a final set of boos throughout the game, after missing a keeper as the two teams drew 2-2. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he was smiling late in the game as he left the Parc des Princes for the last time as a home player.
While he won't be staying in the French capital, it looks like his fanbase will be too, with the club's Instagram account already affected.
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According to research by one fan on Reddit, the Ligue 1 champions lost more than 600,000 social media followers over the weekend.
PSG's social media figures show a big drop since Messi last finished. Image:
alamy
There's no doubt how the former Barcelona star is a social media 'influencer', even without trying as hard as others. The striker's photo celebrating the World Cup in December last year became the most liked post in Instagram history, surpassing even a very popular egg.
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He almost broke his own record a day later when he posted a second photo next to the trophy, this time posing with it as he lay in bed.
People on social media are not the only fanboys reacting to Messi's departure from the Parc des Princes, Kylian Mbappe is also a 'fanboy' of his future former team-mate.
There have been talks that Mbappe could follow the Argentinian out of the club this summer but he has stated that he will be there for another year.
Some had expected him to be a candidate to replace Karim Benzema at Real Madrid, following the striker's announcement in the summer.
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