There was an interesting moment during Saturday's MLS 360 show when analyst Shep Messing said he had "inside info" on a Lionel Messi move to MLS and that "it is going to happen and it's going to happen soon."
Like any great amateur sleuth, I then carefully watched PSG's home match against Lyon on Sunday looking for clues. I think I found them: Messi wants to get out of Paris like a bat out of hell.
PSG's dismal run in 2023 continued with a 1-0 defeat, their second straight at the Parc des Princes, and the club's Ligue 1 lead is suddenly down to six points with nine matches remaining.
Surely Messi and Kylian Mbappé won't let it slip, but Lyon put the shackles on PSG in a damning defeat that piled the pressure on manager Christophe Galtier. His team looked sterile in attack and always susceptible to the counter, and PSG's bizarre squad build was evident with 17-year-old El Chadaille Bitshiabu starting at the back and teenagers Ismaël Gharbi and Warren Zaïre-Emery coming off the bench.
The midfield three of Marco Verratti, Vitinha and Renato Sanches had combined for one assist all season, so it wasn't surprising to see them bossed off the pitch. But that PSG midfield, like always, escapes criticism given the orbital pull of Messi and Mbappé. Although the Argentine completed four dribbles and five key passes against Lyon, he was again whistled by the home crowd.
Así ha recibido el Parque de los Príncipes a Messi después del parón internacional. Sigue habiendo pitos en la Virage Auteuil, el fondo de los ultras parisinos.@diarioas pic.twitter.com/gpPMri5fqj
— Andrés Onrubia Ramos (@AndiOnrubia) April 2, 2023
20-year-old Bradley Barcola scored Lyon's winner in the 56th-minute, and it could've been more if Alex Lacazzette would've converted his first-half penalty.
¡GOOOL DEL LYON!
Bradley Barcola pone el 0-1 para la visitaNo te pierdas el PSG vs. Lyon en vivo por beIN SPORTS Ñ#Ligue1 #PSGOL pic.twitter.com/8VTuaOB1ug
— beIN SPORTS Español (@ESbeINSPORTS) April 2, 2023
Maybe PSG's owners Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) really do want Messi around next season and really are prioritizing a one-year extension this summer, but that agenda feels entirely out of touch with the current mood in the ground and PSG's Champions League-or-bust directive.
If Messi wants to feel the love again, it does look like a Barcelona return could happen. This past weekend, Barça vice president Rafa Yuste revealed that the club remains in contact with Messi's camp.
But you know what they say about going home again (you can't so don't even try), and with Messi turning 36 in June, he could grow some roots in Miami and not even have to leave the United States for the 2024 Copa América and 2026 World Cup.
Any move has to be better than staying in Paris and going through the motions like this.
