PARIS — Lionel Messi will start Paris Saint-Germain's Ligue 1 home game against AC Ajaccio on Saturday after returning to training following a club-imposed suspension, coach Christophe Galtier said on Friday.
"I spoke with him on Tuesday to see what his mindset was and I found him very determined to play... He will start tomorrow," Galtier told a press conference.
Lionel Messi's future is the biggest telenovela coming from the transfer rumor machinery these days, with several sources claiming the Argentine star has secured a gargantuan contract with Saudi side Al-Hilal. I mean, you can go out there on that thing called the internet and you'll be swarmed with "done deal" headlines.
But is it really done?
Lionel Messi is training with Paris Saint-Germain again, the Ligue 1 team said on Monday, after the forward was suspended for making a trip to Saudi Arabia and missing a training session as a result.
French media reported that Messi was suspended for two weeks after an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia when he was supposed to train with the squad the day after the Ligue 1 leaders' 3-1 defeat to Lorient last month.
The latest chapter of Lionel Messi’s unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia came on Friday when he posted a video on his Instagram story of him apologizing to his teammates. The Messi apology video is 37 seconds long in which he claims it was all a misunderstanding.
If you’re out of the loop on events, then here’s a quick timeline.
The fallout from Lionel Messi's unauthorized use of PTO to go on a quick jaunt to Saudi Arabia continued Wednesday with our transfer lord and savior Fabrizio Romano drawing the line on the Argentine's time in Paris.
"Messi will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season. There are no doubts about that anymore," Romano tweeted. "Behind the scenes, it's now understood that Leo's father Jorge communicated the decision to PSG already one month ago."
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.
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.
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.
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.
Argentina continued their never-ending happiness tour after winning Copa América, Finalissima and World Cup, thrashing Curaçao 7-0 in a friendly game where Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick and surpassed the 100-goal mark playing for La Albiceleste.