PSG SPORTING DIRECTOR CANNOT BELIEVE HE BROUGHT MESSI TO THE CLUB

June 17, 2022
3 years ago

Lionel Messi has been dubbed "on Olympus" as one of the best players in history, and former PSG sporting director Leonardo can't believe he brought him to Ligue 1.

 

Luis Campos, a former Monaco and Lille transfer guru, has joined the Ligue 1 winners as a football advisor after Leonardo left at the end of the 2021-22 season.

 

 

 

Coach Mauricio Pochettino is also anticipated to leave after failing to perform in the Champions League, which is considered the crown jewel by PSG owners Qatar Sports Investments (QSI).

 

 

 

Pochettino and Leonardo, on the other hand, were able to bring Argentina's Lionel Messi to Paris at the start of the season, ending a 17-year association with Barcelona.

 

 

 

Messi was only one goal behind Kylian Mbappe (45) for PSG in Ligue 1, with the latter's 20 being one more than Neymar, who completed an unbelievable forward trio.

 

 

 

Only Mbappe (70) and Messi (63) generated more chances, but the Blaugrana legend's debut year in Paris was mainly seen as lackluster, with only six top-flight goals scored.

 

 

 

Nonetheless, Leonardo was overjoyed with gaining the 34-year-services, old's as well as his own achievements with PSG.

 

 

 

"Yes, we had given it a lot of thought. We had discussed it, but Messi had never seriously considered leaving Barcelona "He informed L'Equipe about it.

 

 

 

"The final moments leading up to his arrival were crucial. Everything returns to normal after that, but you made Messi's sole transfer in his career!

 

"Pele, Maradona, and Messi are in chronological order. He's on Mount Olympus.

 

"So, looking back on the last three years, I see a Champions League final, a semi-final, a tenth league triumph, seven national titles, and the signing of Messi.

 

"Even though I don't like to pick the greatest, there are two really crucial events for me. The first is the signing of [Marco] Verratti and [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic on the same day [in 2012].

 

"It was no coincidence that an Italian second-division player and a world-famous footballer arrived at the same time. Messi is the second. These are two significant dates."

 

Mbappe turned down Real Madrid's offer to prolong his stay at PSG, instead opting for a lucrative three-year deal.

 

According to reports, the World Cup winner was given guarantees about events both on and off the field.

 

While Leonardo has left and Pochettino appears to be on his way, the former claims he was unaware of such provisions in the Mbappe contract.

 

"It was the end of the season," he noted, "and maybe it was time to make some decisions for the future." "I wasn't told that, but I'm not interested in becoming involved in that sort of activity.

 

"The fact that they were able to keep that guy, who is a Frenchman and a Parisian, is crucial for PSG and Ligue 1.

"Certain things that are expressed privately should be kept private. It's how I've found the club to be. There's no pleasant way to announce it's over when the club wants to get rid of you."