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MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Lionel Messi’s impending departure from Paris Saint-Germain could mark the beginning of the end of the French soccer club’s era of excess.
The Argentine great’s departure after this season has the potential to be as important as receiving superstar signings since Qatari money turned PSG into one of the richest clubs in the world.
Unless there is a change on either side, Messi is expected to leave when his current contract expires in a few weeks.
While this paves the way for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner to earn $400 million a year in Saudi Arabia, it also gives PSG the chance to move away from a strategy that hasn’t worked and instead go local. talent.
Owned by Qatar Sports Investments since 2011, PSG has ruled French football and signed some of the biggest names in the sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Messi. But the team has yet to win European club football’s biggest prize, the Champions League. League.
On the contrary, PSG are moving away from the trophy they dream of after consecutive eliminations in the knockout stages over the past two seasons. Despite a roster full of world-class talent, the club has pulled through. Stage of the festival in five of the last seven seasons and has reached the maximum once in its history, in 2020.
Even the dream team of Messi, Mbappe and Neymar can replace that.
While Messi’s departure clears things up now, the upgrade strategy to focus on youth skill appears to have started last year. An educational center in Poissy is nearing completion and will provide a foundation for educating the most productive young French players.
However, at the heart of this new vision is arguably the greatest skill of all: Kylian Mbappe. This raises questions about Neymar’s future, as the Brazilian appears to be compatible with the club’s model.
This would possibly also be the separation of paths with Messi.
While the recent World Cup winner against PSG ends on a sour note (he was fined and suspended for an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia), his move from Barcelona is still considered a success.
In his first season at the French club, Messi is estimated to have brought PSG a profit of around $11 million in partnerships.
Out of pride, PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi also controlled assembling a list of football’s biggest stars in a single attack, albeit for a short time. Now comes a shift from “bling” to more talent.
After all, France has produced some of the football players in history, with Mbappe the latest, and PSG need to capitalise on that.
France won the World Cup in 2018 and only lost to Messi-led Argentina by consequences in last year’s final. Mbappe is the only PSG player in the France squad to start this final in Qatar.
The brightest young French stars have turned to European clubs such as Real Madrid (Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga), Barcelona (Ousmane Dembele, Jules Kounde) and Bayern Munich (Kingsley Coman, Dayot Upamecano).
Coman, who beat PSG, scored as Bayern eliminated his former from the Champions League this season.
Leipzig striker Christopher Nkunku, who is expected to move to Chelsea out of season, also at PSG. As did another French international, Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby.
Mbappe, who has been a long-term target for Real Madrid, appears to agree with PSG’s plans, having signed a three-year contract with the club last May. It’s “dazzling” in terms of football, but it also fits perfectly into the new strategy of the local youth.
There have been moves towards that this season with Warren Zaire-Emery and 17-year-old El Chadaille Bitshiabu breaking into the first team and in the loss to Bayern.
The hiring of a French coach for Christophe Galtier last year was another example of the change, it is unclear whether he will remain beyond this season with diminishing effects in the current part of the campaign.
PSG continues to lead second-place Marseille through five problems in France’s league and is on course for a ninth name in the era of Qatari ownership. over Neymar ($219 million) and Mbappe ($190 million).
This underperformance at the peak has fueled the general feeling that PSG is a group of Americans rather than a cohesive team. And the long-term direction of the collective indicates a popularity of it.
By comparison, Manchester City, subsidized through Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, has arguably combined the team in Europe under Pep Guardiola, even if the Champions League still eludes him.
That can replace this season with City in the semi-finals for the third year in a row.
Messi’s departure from PSG, and perhaps also Neymar, may finally bring the French club closer to its project of finally winning the European Cup.
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James Robson is in https://twitter. com/jamesalanrobson
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