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French Newspaper's Brutal 5-Word Dig at Lionel Messi Makes Things Worse

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Emmanuel Mendez | Last updated Jun 28, 2025 1:10 PM ET

Out of all the FIFA Club World Cup Round of 16 matches, PSG vs Inter Miami is among the most anticipated fixtures of the bunch. This is due to Lionel Messi playing against his former club, where he was known to be unhappy.

The Argentine star joined Inter Miami from PSG on a free transfer in the summer of 2023. Despite a normal relationship between Messi and the French club, one of the biggest French newspapers gave a slight dig at the former PSG player.

L'Équipe published a message directed at Messi just a day before the anticipated PSG vs Inter Miami round of 16 match. Some assume there are still hard feelings from PSG fans due to Messi not guiding them to Champions League glory.

Others interpret the message as France's way to get revenge for the 2022 FIFA World Cup final between France and Argentina, where Messi and his team came out on top.

L'Équipe's message to Lionel Messi

On the front page of a L'Équipe publication, the French newspaper wrote, "Messi ..not everything is forgiven." With the message clear on seeking revenge, many fans believe that the revenge is for PSG and the French national team.

غلاف صحيفة الـ L’ÉQUIPE الفرنسية

"ميسي ..ليس كل شيء يُغفر"

في فرنسا ينتظرون مواجهة باريس سان جيرمان وإنتر ميامي بروح الانتقام من ميسي pic.twitter.com/Y90LrC2biY
— Messi World (@M10GOAT) June 28, 2025

This adds tension to the match for some fans, which didn't need it before, since many wonder if Messi has a bit more determination to beat PSG due to his time there.

Messi was open to talk about his time at PSG and revealed his true feelings after leaving France in 2023. Recently, Messi came out to explain how he felt during training sessions at PSG.

Lionel Messi says that he "wasn't happy" at PSG pic.twitter.com/JtNTedndBS
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 1, 2025

Lionel Messi's time at PSG

Messi joined PSG in the summer of 2021 on a free transfer from FC Barcelona. Barcelona were unable to register Messi for a new contract, which led to his departure to France.

Messi helped PSG win two Ligue 1 titles and a French Super Cup. His time in Paris was marked as 'underwhelming' due to the Champions League performances of PSG.

In Messi's first season with PSG, the French team were eliminated from the Champions League in the Round of 16 at the hands of Real Madrid. PSG were leading 2-0 on aggregate until a dramatic Karim Benzema hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabeu sent the Spanish side to the quarterfinals.

In his second and final season at PSG, Messi and the French side were eliminated in the Round of 16 again. PSG lost 3-0 on aggregate against Bayern Munich. Messi played in both legs against Bayern but couldn't contribute to a goal for the Parisiens.

Now Messi meets PSG again, but this time as opponents. Messi played against PSG ten times in the past, playing for FC Barcelona. His record against the French side is four wins, three draws, and three defeats.

The last time Messi faced PSG was in 2021 for FC Barcelona, where he scored a screamer against Keylor Navas in a game that finished 1-1.