Lionel Messi was spotted attending a Coldplay concert in Barcelona one day after clinching his second Ligue 1 title at Paris Saint-Germain.
- Messi won second Ligue 1 crown on Saturday
- Returns to Barca for Coldplay gig a day later
- Skipped end of season awards with PSG
WHAT HAPPENED? Fresh after scoring a title-clinching goal for PSG against Strasbourg on Saturday night, which saw him break Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for the most goals in European football, Messi made his way back to Spain for one of the big music events of the year. The 35-year-old was seen in the crowd for Coldplay’s gig at the Montjuic Stadium, and appeared to be trying to keep a low-profile. Of course, that proved impossible for the World Cup winner as the Barca fans in attendance began chanting his name in unison after identifying him sitting in the lower stands.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: As RMC Sport reports, Messi apparently went to the concert instead of joining a host of his PSG team-mates at the annual UNFP ceremony, which honours the best players in Ligue 1, Ligue 2 and the D1 Arkema (Women’s first division). Messi was one of four PSG players to be named in the team of the season for Ligue 1, with Kylian Mbappe, Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes also making the cut.
Messi has enjoyed a turbulent second season at PSG and has been a regular target for criticism from the club’s ultras alongside Neymar. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is being strongly linked with a return to Barca as he approaches the final weeks of his contract at PSG, with no extension in sight.
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WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI? The Barca icon has also been linked with a switch to MLS and Saudi Arabia, but his future won’t be decided until after PSG’s final game of the 2022-23 season at home to Clermont Foot on June 3.
