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'Football misses Lionel Messi' - La Liga president aims dig at Ligue 1 as he claims ex-Barcelona star has 'much less' exposure at PSG

Javier Tebas has taken a swipe at Ligue 1 by claiming that Lionel Messi doesn't get the same exposure at Paris Saint-Germain as he did at Barcelona.

Messi left for PSG in 2021
Tebas claims Messi is followed less in Ligue 1
Messi linked with return to Barca

WHAT HAPPENED? The Argentine joined PSG on a free transfer following his departure from Barcelona in the summer of 2021. He struggled for consistency in his first year at Parc des Princes but looks back to his best this season as PSG fight on domestic and European fronts once again. Barca, meanwhile, have dropped into the Europa League in his absence, but La Liga president Tebas claims Messi is now talked about far less because he plays in a less competitive league.

WHAT THEY SAID: "I think that Messi is not only missed in La Liga, he is missed in football, because the French league is what it is, right?" he said during the Ole Sports Summit.

"I think that no matter how much he is at PSG, he is followed much less than when he was at Futbol Club Barcelona. Therefore, football misses Lionel Messi and we hope he has a great World Cup, because there we will all be able to see him again. I don't see all the fans watching PSG against Nantes, I don't see it. With Barça, within a league, I did see him much more often.''

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: Barcelona vice president Eduard Romeu claimed it would be "possible financially" for Messi to return to the club next summer. He has also been linked with a move to MLS outfit Inter Miami, with his current deal at PSG set to expire in June, 2023, but the 35-year-old has yet to make a final decision on his future.

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