Lionel Messi: 'There was a fracture with a significant group of PSG fans'

Lionel Messi has spoken for the first time about his “fractured” relationship with a section of Paris Saint-Germain supporters and how he struggled to settle in after moving to the French capital.

In May, Messi was suspended for two weeks following an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia and his return to action had saw him jeered by PSG fans.

The Argentine forward played his final game for PSG in June but was again jeered despite having helped the club secure the Ligue 1 club title for a second season in a row and finishing the campaign with 16 goals and 16 assists.

“I think in the beginning it was something wonderful,” said Messi in an interview with beIN Sports, broadcast on Sunday. “But then some people started to treat me differently, a part of the Paris supporters.

“I think the vast majority still see me and treat me as they did at the beginning, but there was a fracture with a significant group of the Paris fans, which obviously wasn't my intention, far from it.

“It happened just as it had happened before with [Kylian] Mbappe, with Neymar. I know that's the way they behave.

“I'll take away with me the people who respected me, as I always respected everyone since I arrived and that's all.”

Messi signed for PSG in 2019 after 17 seasons at Barcelona but admitted he found the transition “difficult”.

“I came to Paris because I liked the club, because I had friends in the dressing room … it seemed easier for me to adapt rather than another destination I could have gone to,” he said.

“In reality, it was a very tough adaptation, much harder than I expected … with a new game plan, new teammates, a new city.

“I arrived late, I didn't have a pre-season. The start was difficult for me, my family.”

Messi's first season, during