PSG suspends Lionel Messi for a fortnight following unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia

The tensions between Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain are still making news. According to RMC Sport, the Ligue 1 club has given their World Cup-winning forward a two-week pay suspension for a recent trip to Saudi Arabia that he took without permission from the team. The Argentine will consequently be absent from PSG's upcoming Ligue 1 matches against Troyes and Ajaccio.

Messi, who left Barcelona to relocate to Paris in the summer of 2021, has been mentioned as perhaps returning to the Catalan team. The hierarchy at the Nou Camp, including club manager Xavi, who played a significant portion of his club career alongside the Argentine, have publicly discussed and pondered this transfer.

After Messi and company ended a 36-year wait to win the nation's third World Cup against France in the final, the relationship between the Parisian fans and Messi has taken a hit. PSG, who are now in first place in Ligue 1 with 75 points after 33 games, was eliminated from both the French Cup and the Champions League.

2022-23 could be Lionel Messi's last season in Paris

There is no longer a chance that Messi will extend his deal at Parc des Princes. Of course, it was almost inevitable that he would leave. The club sought to retain the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner for financial reasons, as GOAL reported following PSG's virtually yearly relegation from the Champions League last-16. But due to Financial Fair Play (FFP) issues, one of their exorbitantly wealthy superstars had to be offloaded this summer. Since Kylian Mbappe continues to be the face of the PSG project and nobody wants Neymar, the smart money has always been on Messi.

Given everything that has come before, it is only fitting that Messi leaves PSG in disgrace, hated by the fans of his own team who see him as the embodiment of the club's issues. It's a far cry from the excitement that greeted Messi's haphazard arrival two years ago when he was seen as the finishing touch for PSG following "the greatest transfer window in football history."