“It’s Been Very Hard” – Lost Nearly $1.7 Million in Suspension, Lionel Messi Snubs PSG During Laureus Award as He Admits ‘A Lot of Joy With FC Barcelona’

Lionel Messi added one more trophy to his cabinet. This time it is an individual award. The Argentine won Laureus Sportsman of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Award. He won this award for the second time after winning it in 2020. Argentina’s national team won the award for the Team of the Year.

The prestigious award started in 2000 and is given in seven categories. They select the winner from the nominees, and this year Messi was one of the nominees after an exceptional year that saw him lift the World Cup. Meanwhile, what caught the eye of many was the Argentine snubbing PSG in his speech but mentioning FC Barcelona.

The controversy of Lionel Messi snubbing PSG

It has been an incredible season for Lionel Messi. He helped Argentina win the World Cup for the first time after 1986. It was his first trophy after narrowly missing out in 2014. His incredible feat made him a strong contender for the coveted award, and they presented it on Monday. In his speech after getting the award, Messi snubbed PSG while mentioning Barcelona and the Argentine national team.

Messi said, ” I play a team sport, and this year I’ve been able to achieve my biggest dream, which was to be a world champion with my team. It’s been very hard, and I’ve achieved it at the end of my career.”

“Up until then, everything had happened. A lot of joy with FC Barcelona, a lot of sadness with my national team due to not achieving the goals we had set for ourselves,” Messi added.

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It was a learning curve for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner despite several ups and downs in his career. With the support of his family, he overcame all the difficulties and achieved his biggest dream of winning the FIFA World Cup last year. World Cup was a dream of the whole of Argentina, too. And Messi dedicated his Laureus Award to the people of Argentina.

Messi apologized to PSG 

The PSG superstar visited Saudi Arabia recently. It caused controversy, as PSG labeled it an unauthorized trip. As a result, the club sanctioned Messi by suspending him for two weeks without wages. It was the first such disciplinary action taken by the Qatari owners after taking over PSG.

However, Lionel Messi recently released the video on his Instagram. He apologized to the club and his teammates for traveling to Saudi Arabia. The club accepted the Argentine’s apology, and he resumed training recently. 

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Is the suspension of Lionel Messi by PSG a sign of a deteriorating relationship between the club and the Argentine?