Football legendary star Lionel Messi ignores boos in his final appearance for French Club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as the French league champion lost to Clermont 3-2.
PSG supporters started booing the Argentina star on Saturday when the Parc des Princes announcer read his name on a warm evening.
A few minutes later, Messi walked onto the field with a smile on his face, holding his three children’s hands before the team photo and kissing them on their foreheads before kickoff.
“I would like to thank the club, the city of Paris and its people for these two years. I wish you all the best for the future,” Messi told the club website.
The Argentinian was signed two seasons ago from Barcelona to help PSG win an elusive Champions League, but he failed in that aim.
The French club were beaten in the Champions League last 16 by Real Madrid last season and suffered the same fate this year at Bayern Munich’s hands.
Messi, who has won the Ballon d’Or seven times, has earned an estimated annual salary of 30 million euros ($32.1 million) after tax at Qatar-backed PSG.
He led Argentina to victory against France in the World Cup final in Qatar in December.
But having poured his efforts into that long-awaited triumph for his country, his was unable to lead PSG past Bayern in the Champions League.
In two seasons at PSG, Messi won two French leagues and the French Champions Trophy and notched 32 goals and 35 assists in all competitions.
Messi scored in a 1-1 draw at Strasbourg a week ago to help PSG clinch a record-extending 11th French league title.
By notching a 496th career league goal, the Argentine genius also broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s scoring record for Europe’s top five leagues.
The World Cup winner didn’t sign the contract extension that Qatar-backed PSG offered him and has been strongly linked with a move to a Saudi club where he could earn more money than Ronaldo.
Inter Miami is another possible option but wouldn’t be able to match the Saudi offer of hundreds of millions of dollars.
PSG took a 2-0 lead with a header from the departing Sergio Ramos in the 16th and a penalty from Mbappe in the 21st.
But Clermont levelled before halftime with goals by Johan Gatien and Mehdi Zeffane. Grejohn Kyei scored the winner by converting a cross in the 63rd.
