As Lionel Messi hoisted aloft the World Cup in December, draped in a gold-lined bisht, he had not only achieved a live-long personal objective, but ticked off a perfect tournament for the Qatari organisers.
Those same outrageously wealthy and influential individuals also have a vested interest in Messi’s club side, Paris Saint-Germain, and could hardly have scripted a better finale for the winter tournament than the enthralling ding-dong between Messi and PSG’s other figurehead, Kylian Mbappe.
However, since returning from Doha, the golden hue hovering over Messi has faded in Paris. The world’s greatest player has been booed by his own fans and has now incurred the wrath of the hierarchy that worked so hard to lure him to Ligue 1 two years ago.
After skipping training for an unsanctioned trip to Saudi Arabia – once Qatar’s fierce rivals who now share an uneasy but mutually beneficial relationship – Messi has been reportedly handed a two-week suspension by PSG.
Here are the upcoming fixtures Messi stands to miss after a dramatic fall from grace.
PSG are invariably faced with a stubborn low block in Ligue 1. So often this season, Messi has possessed the dexterity to unpick the lock but when Troyes travelled to the French capital, the diminutive Argentine simply smashed through the door with an uncharacteristic long-range fizzer into the bottom corner as PSG ultimately prevailed 4-3.
Troyes are almost cut adrift in the race for safety, ten points behind 16th placed Nantes with just five games to play, so will be scrapping for everything when the leaders make the trip to the banks of the Seine.
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Conveniently, the other match Messi is set to miss with this suspension is against one of only two clubs below Troyes in the Ligue 1 table.
Messi teed up Mbappe for a brace and scored one himself in a dazzling and devastating display from the duo when the reigning champions last faced Ajaccio six months ago. PSG manager Christophe Galtier may not be able to call upon his star number 30 but he will be able to share another pre-match hug with his son Jordan, Ajaccio’s assistant manager.
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