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Tag: PSG

  • Pope Francis receives PSG jersey from Messi

    Pope Francis receives PSG jersey from Messi

    Pope Francis has thanked Argentina football star Lionel Messi for sending him a Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) club jersey.

    “Lionel Messi, dear brother, thank you for the jersey and the dedication,” the pontiff said in a video published on Friday by Argentina’s Telam news agency.

    “Thank you for staying grounded. Stay like this. God bless you, you can always count on me.”

    French Prime Minister Jean Castex had given the Pope the jersey during a visit to the Vatican.

    PSG’s new forward had written: “For Francis, with much love.”

    During his time at FC Barcelona, Messi already sent the leader of the Catholic Church several jerseys from the Catalan club.

    Pope Francis is considered a big football fan.

    The Argentinian’s favourite club is San Lorenzo of Buenos Aires.

  • Sergio Ramos debut not certain yet – PSG

    Sergio Ramos debut not certain yet – PSG

    Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have confirmed that centre-back Sergio Ramos will not be making his much-awaited debut when they tackle Angers.

    PSG disclosed this in a statement via their website on Thursday.

    According to the statement, Ramos will continue on his road to full recovery by training individually for the next 10 days.

    Mauricio Pochettino’s side will host Angers in a French Ligue 1 tie at Parc des Princes on Friday night.

    PSG’s statement read, “Sergio Ramos will continue his individual sessions with the medical and performance staff for another 10 days with a view to returning to full training.”

    PSG head to the game following a 2-0 defeat to Rennes in their last Ligue 1 tie on October 3.

    They currently sit on top of the Ligue 1 table with 24 points from 9 games.

  • PSG offering Mbappe €225m contract to reject Real Madrid

    PSG offering Mbappe €225m contract to reject Real Madrid

    PSG are offering Kylian Mbappe a contract worth a staggering €225 million to stay in Paris.

    Mbappe’s current deal expires in June and the France striker is a priority target for Real Madrid and their president Florentino Perez.

    For the moment, Mbappe has offered no hint of a willingness to consider new terms with PSG, though there’s hope in Paris the new offer will bring him to the table.

    Okdiario’s football chief Eduardo Inda, when speaking on El Chiringuito, revealed: “They will give him 45 million net per season, which amounts to 225 million.”

    Mbappé would become the highest paid player in a squad that includes stars like Leo Messi or Neymar, so making clear that PSG’s board is firmly committed to making him the key personality in their current Galacticos project.

  • Messi joining PSG a monumental Barca error – Laurent Blanc

    Messi joining PSG a monumental Barca error – Laurent Blanc

    Former Barcelona defender Laurent Blanc says losing Leo Messi is a huge blow for the club.

    Blanc stated that, while Lionel Messi’s arrival at Paris Saint-Germain is excellent news for Ligue 1, it is the opposite situation for Barcelona.

    “For French football it’s incredible to have [Lionel] Messi, Neymar and [Kylian] Mbappe in the same league,” he said in an interview with Panenka.

    “PSG are on another planet, yes, but it is good for Ligue 1 to see these players week after week.

    “If I look at it from Barcelona’s perspective, I believe that they have committed monumental errors. Monumental.

    “Not only in relation to Messi, but looking at the last four or five years.

    “They have lost incredible players, which a club like Barcelona cannot allow.

    “You can’t lose Neymar or Messi, because it is very difficult to replace them.”

    The Frenchman also revealed just how close he came to being appointed as Barcelona coach in 2017.

    “I spoke two or three times with Eric Abidal,” Blanc said.

    “Obviously it was a dream to coach a club like Barcelona, but it didn’t happen for various reasons.

    “It wasn’t the right time or someone believed that I wasn’t ready for it. That’s life.”

  • I didn’t make a mistake leaving Barcelona for PSG – Messi insists

    I didn’t make a mistake leaving Barcelona for PSG – Messi insists

    Lionel Messi insisted he did not make a mistake leaving boyhood club, Barcelona FC for Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.

    Messi joined PSG on a free transfer after Barca were unable to re-sign the six-time Ballon d’Or winner due to their financial crisis.

    It ended Messi’s long-standing association with Barca, having made his senior debut for the LaLiga powerhouse in 2004-05.

    Messi won 35 trophies at Camp Nou, scoring a record 672 goals across all competitions.

    Now settling into life with PSG in the French capital, Messi said he is happy with his decision.

    “I didn’t make a mistake in going to PSG,” Messi told France Football in a preview of his interview, which will be published in full on Saturday.

    Since making the move to PSG, Messi has scored once – a goal in the club’s 2-0 Champions League win over Manchester City.

    The 34-year-old is yet to find the back of the net in Ligue 1, where PSG suffered a shock 2-0 loss at Rennes last week.

    It snapped PSG’s perfect start to the league season after eight consecutive wins, though Messi’s men are still six points clear atop the table through nine rounds.

  • Cisse blasts Neymar: You’ve become spoilt brat

    Cisse blasts Neymar: You’ve become spoilt brat

    Former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Edouard Cisse has lambasted Brazilian forward, Neymar, describing him as a ‘spoilt brat.’

    Cisse, a former France international, who played for the Ligue 1 giants for 10 years between 1997 and 2007, pointed out that Neymar fared significantly better while at Barcelona.

    “At Barcelona, there was a structure,” Cisse told Le Parisien, according to Marca.

    “[Neymar] had a cleaner style of play, although he dribbled more.

    “His job was to break the defensive line, make the difference, and pass the ball to General [Lionel] Messi.

    “He did it so well that he became his ‘alter ego’.”

    Cisse, who made 186 appearances for PSG, scoring 8 goals, and also played for Rennes, West Ham United, Monaco, among others, went on to point out that the Brazil International encountered an entirely different situation in France.

    “In Paris, they gave him the keys and they let him do what he wanted,” he continued.

    “He is a great player, no one can dispute that, but he has become a spoilt brat and he bosses everyone around.”

  • Ligue 1: I told PSG I wanted to leave – Mbappe

    Ligue 1: I told PSG I wanted to leave – Mbappe

    Kylian Mbappe admits he told PSG he wanted to leave this past summer.

    In the final days of the summer market, Real Madrid had offers of €160m and €180m rejected by PSG.

    Mbappe told RMC: “I asked to leave, because from the moment I didn’t want to extend, I wanted the club to have a transfer fee to have a quality replacement. It’s a club that has given me a lot, I have always been happy, the four years I spent here, and I still am.

    “I announced it early enough that the club could turn around. I wanted everyone to go out to grow up, to go out hand in hand, to make a good deal, and I respected that. I said, if you don’t want me to go, I will stay.

    “Me, my position was clear. I said I wanted to leave and I said it early enough. Personally, I didn’t really appreciate the fact of saying ‘yes, he’s coming the last week of August …’ because that makes a thief. I said at the end of July that I wanted to leave.”

  • My dream was to play for PSG not Chelsea – Demba Ba

    My dream was to play for PSG not Chelsea – Demba Ba

    Former Chelsea striker Demba Ba admits his ultimate career goal was to play for PSG.

    Ba announced his retirement last week and says he regrets not pulling on the PSG shirt.

    He said, “What if it was my dream to play for Chelsea?

    “No, my dream would have been to play in Paris. Playing for Chelsea was only a goal.

    “At the time of the transfer, I was very happy to have planned this departure for Chelsea.”

    The ex-Senegalese international was in the Premier League for several seasons, winning the Europa League with Chelsea in 2013.

    He also claimed glory in Turkey, winning the domestic title with Besiktas and Istanbul Basaksehir in 2016-2017 and 2019-2020 respectively.

  • Why it is easy to defend against Man City – PSG midfielder

    Why it is easy to defend against Man City – PSG midfielder

    PSG midfielder Idrissa Gueye says Manchester City lack pace after this week’s Champions League win.

    Gueye struck in the 2-0 triumph for the Parisians.

    “The most important thing is to remain solid,” Gueye told RMC Sport.

    “It wasn’t an easy match and we were able to defend well, play on the counter and get opportunities. We were able to score, and now we need to concentrate on the next game.

    “We had to stay compact in the middle and make the most of our counters to score. Today it was simple to defend because they didn’t have a lot of pace.

    “The most important thing is the entire team’s performance. We had to win after the draw in Bruges. We attacked as a team, we defended as a team. Now we need to prepare the next match well.”

  • Messi scores first PSG goal in Man City win

    Messi scores first PSG goal in Man City win

    Lionel Messi scored his first Paris St-Germain goal in stunning fashion as they beat Manchester City in an enthralling Champions League group game.

    Messi, making his fourth appearance for PSG since leaving Barcelona, ran from the halfway line before playing a one-two with Kylian Mbappe and leaving Ederson rooted to the spot with a lovely 20-yard shot.

    The roar from the Parc des Princes crowd was deafening as the Argentine, on his return from injury, added one PSG goal to the 672 he managed for Barca.

    Idrissa Gueye had given last season’s French runners-up an early lead with an excellent drive into the top corner.

    City had plenty of chances to score in between those goals with Raheem Sterling’s header hitting the bar and Bernardo Silva striking the woodwork from the rebound with an empty net in front of him.

    They also had seven shots on target but could not beat Champions League debutant Gianluigi Donnarumma in PSG’s goal.