Lionel Messi would have been hoping to leave Paris Saint-Germain with a happy memory on his final appearance against Clermont on Saturday night and even a goal as the Ligue 1 champions played their final game of the season. But the Argentine’s grand farewell did not go to plan after he was guilty of a surprising miss when put clean through on goal, with Kylian Mbappe making his frustration known.
Veteran defender Sergio Ramos, also playing his final game for the club, opened the scoring before Mbappe dispatched a penalty to double their advantage at Parc des Princes.
But Clermont fought back valiantly with Johan Gastien grabbing a goal back three minutes later and Mehdi Zaffane brought the visitors back on level terms on the stroke of half-time.
In the second half, PSG had a chance to go back in front when Mbappe was sent through on goal and the Frenchman unselfishly squared it for Messi.
But the 35-year-old, with all the time in the world to pick his spot, somehow curled over from 10 yards out.
Messi has scored over 800 goals in his glittering career and as he prepares to leave the Parisian outfit for what could be the final chapter, the Argentine was hoping to say goodbye with a few goals as the perfect way to depart.
Instead, he felt the wrath of his team-mate Mbappe who gave him an earful before a rather unconvincing thumbs up.
Things got even worse for Messi shortly after his miss when PSG were made to pay for his profligacy. Grejohn Kyei made it 3-2 to Clermont just after the hour mark and they held on to secure an impressive win.
While PSG had already wrapped up the Ligue 1 title, the season ends on a disappointing note for Christoph Galtier’s side, especially with Messi announcing his departure from the club.
The World Cup winner joined the French giants from Barcelona in 2021 on a free transfer with ambitions of winning the Champions League again. But PSG failed to launch a strong challenge for the European crown, with Messi struggling to reach his best level at the club.
He is now set to seal a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia after receiving a huge offer from Al-Hilal. Inter Miami and Barcelona are both keen on signing Messi this summer, but widespread reports suggest the Argentinian has already agreed his next move to join Cristiano Ronaldo in the Arabian Gulf.
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