Lionel Messi's future with PSG is wobbly. Fans are not enthusiastic about him, he doesn't look particularly thrilled about being there and talks regarding a possible return to FC Barcelona are gaining momentum. And then – on top of that – you have an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia that is angering PSG teammates and the sporting hierarchy at the club.
PSG welcomed mid-table Lorient to the Parc des Princes on Sunday and slumped to a 3-1 defeat after Achraf Hakimi was sent off in the 20th-minute for a studs-up tackle on Darlin Yongwa that earned him a second yellow.
The massive spotlight on Paris Saint-Germain from earlier this season has flickered and remains on a dim setting. PSG are out of the Champions League, eliminated from the French Cup, lost Neymar for the rest of the season and have a relatively comfortable lead in Ligue 1.
There aren’t any big matches left on the schedule for the Paris club with just a handful of league matches against midtable or lower Ligue 1 sides. A sobering end to a season with so many expectations.
On Friday PSG defeated bottom of the table Angers 2-1 courtesy of a Kylian Mbappé brace.
Do you miss Neymar? Well, here's a non-soccer-related update: he's going to be a father.
The Brazilian started the 2022-23 campaign flying high, scoring, assisting and bringing a good dose of football champagne for PSG. Some even argue that he was making a solid case to be considered for fancy awards like the Ballon d'Or. However, injuries returned to haunt him during the World Cup and then ended his season by mid-February.
Way too early!
Since then, the player has been mostly playing video games online and losing sponsored money in poker.
Before the 2022 World Cup, the idea of Lionel Messi extending his contract with French multi-champion PSG seemed a safe bet. Back from Qatar, however, that certainty has started to crumble and the leading narrative around the player's future is pointing to a sensational return to Barcelona.
Of course, there are a lot of rumors going around, but the blaugranas fans are feeling optimistic after the club's vice-president Rafa Yuste and coach Xavi spoke on Friday about how much they wish for Messi's return to the team.
The UEFA Women's Champions League resumes Tuesday with the quarterfinal first legs, and don't forget that all the action is available to watch for free through the DAZN UWCL YouTube channel.
Action begins Tuesday with Bayern Munich hosting Arsenal at Allianz Arena (1:45 p.m. ET) and continues at the Stadio Olimpico as Roma takes on Barcelona (4:00 p.m. ET). Wednesday features Lyon vs. Chelsea at Groupama Stadium (1:45 p.m. ET) followed by PSG against Wolfsburg at the Parc des Princes (4:00 p.m. ET).
Talking points from the weekend in European soccer leagues:
BARCELONA TAKE HUGE STEP TOWARDS LALIGA TITLE
Barcelona have tightened their grip at the top of the LaLiga standings after an electric 2-1 comeback win in an El Clásico against bitter rivals Real Madrid on Sunday.
Franck Kessié's stunner in added time gave Barça a well-earned victory that left second-placed Real trailing the leaders by 12 points with only 12 games to be played.
Based on how preposterously good Arsenal and Lionel Messi have been this season, there's only one possible explanation for their respective failures this week: tourist Kim Kardashian.
On Thursday, the 42-year-old socialite made her presence felt at the Emirates with her son Saint (the second-oldest of Kim and Kanye's four children). Cruising at the top of the Premier League table and targeting European glory, Arsenal suffered a shock elimination to a Sporting side that's sitting fourth in Liga Portugal.
After disappointingly crashing out of the UEFA Champions League earlier in the week, PSG bounced back to defeat a feisty Brest side 2-1 on Saturday.
PSG left it late as Lionel Messi found Kylian Mbappé with a perfect pass in the 90th minute to snatch the victory.
This was the 300th assist in Messi’s club career and boy was it a beauty.
¡MBAPPÉ SALVA AL PSG!
El capitán y máximo goleador en la historia del equipo le da el triunfo en el 90+2'
For the second consecutive season, a Paris Saint-Germain club entirely hellbent and solely existing for Champions League glory has failed to advance beyond the competition's last 16.
PSG now faces over six months of deep contemplation before the start of the 2023-24 UCL group stage, and although they'll rue Vitinha's inability to score on an open net/Marco Verratti carrying on the club's tradition of having the softest midfielders in the game, those failures should only emphasize how the entire squad needs investment.