Lionel Messi was booed again by Paris Saint-Germain supporters against Lyon and fans believe that his reaction was telling.
The French giants fell to a 1-0 defeat at home, with Bradley Barcola scoring the game’s only goal. The result means PSG have suffered two defeats in a row and their lead at the top of Ligue 1 is now just six points.
Despite being a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and the current FIFA Men’s Best Player, Messi is not a popular figure with the PSG faithful at present.
Recently, the Argentine was spotted walking straight down the tunnel following PSG’s 2-0 defeat to Rennes, after fans jeered his name when it was read out by a stadium announcer.
And a number of those inside the Parc des Princes on Sunday did the same again – though Messi appeared unbothered by the crowd’s behaviour towards him.
It is believed that fans’ discontent with Messi stems from his refusal to sign a new contract with PSG and rumours of his possible return to Barcelona.
Messi’s contract with the French club expires at the end of this season and he is set to leave the club on a free as it stands.
Some fans are also said to be bitter over PSG’s early Champions League exit this year, with the club being convincingly beaten by Bayern Munich in the round of 16.
VIDEO: Lionel Messi being booed by PSG fans
A video has now emerged on Twitter, showing what is believed to be Messi’s reaction to the booing.
While you’d expect the 35-year-old to be looking dejected, he can instead be seen smiling and appearing to joke with Kylian Mbappe.
In contrast to Messi, French star Mbappe received large cheers from the crowd when his name was announced.
Check out Messi’s reaction below:
VIDEO: Messi reacts to being booed by PSG supporters
After the clip of Messi surfaced online, fans reacted to the Argentine’s behaviour.
“He’s not bothered, lmaoo,” said one Twitter user.
Meanwhile, a Barcelona fan wrote: “He knows he’s coming back home next season.”
A third echoed this idea and stated: “He knows he’s leaving, that’s why.”
After the match against Lyon, Thierry Henry stressed that he hoped Messi would return to his former club to see out his career.
But how realistic is this?
According to transfer insider, Fabrizio Romano, Messi’s chances of staying in Paris are slim.
Barcelona manager Xavi has also stated his desire for his ex-teammate to come back to Catalonia.
“I’d love for Leo Messi to return. It’s a topic we’re working on, but it doesn’t just depend on me,” he admitted.
“It depends on Lionel’s happiness and whether he wants to return.
“It’s not the right time to speak about that — but I’d be the first one to be very happy.”
