Living legend Lionel Messi has opened up on the "break" in his relationship with the Paris Saint-Germain fanbase during his two-year spell with the club.
Why was Messi's relationship with PSG fans bad?
Earlier this summer, it was revealed that the Argentinian would be leaving Europe and heading to MLS to play for David Beckham's Inter Miami franchise.
And so, Messi left Paris having just helped his side win Ligue 1 for the second time since his arrival. He also scored 32 goals and provided 35 assists in 75 games during his time with PSG.
Despite this success, it appeared that he didn't always have the best relationship with the club's supporters, who had hoped he would deliver a first Champions League title to the club.
Shortly before he left, he was also criticised for going on an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia. All this meant he was booed during his final appearance for the club.
And speaking in an interview with Bein Sports, he accepted that he initially struggled to adapt to life in a new environment, and eventually, his relationship with the fans broke down.
He said (via Marca): "The truth is that it was a very difficult adaptation, much more than I expected. Beyond the fact that [I] had known people in the dressing room and had a relationship with them, adapting to a new change. I arrived late, I didn't have pre-season. I had to adapt to a difficult new city for my family and for me… It was complicated."
He added: "Afterwards, people began to treat me differently. A part of the PSG public, the rest and the majority continued to treat me as at the beginning, but there was a break with the PSG fans.
"It was not my… I don't intend to generate that break. It also happened with Neymar or Mbappe previously. I'll stay with all the people who did respect me as I always respected everyone since I arrived and it was an anecdote."
Why did Messi join PSG?
Messi left Barcelona in 2021 due to "financial and structural obstacles", ending a 21-year association with the Spanish club.
He departed a legend, having made 778 appearances for Barca, scoring 672 goals, including 120 Champions League goals, and a record 474 La Liga goals.
At the time, PSG were one of the few clubs who could afford his wages and in this same recent interview, Messi explained why he opted for Paris.
He said: "I came to Paris because I liked the club, because I had friends and a lot of people I knew in the dressing room, teammates or some I had already had [met]…
"It's a much easier adaptation than in other teams that I could have gone to, so that's why I decided to go to the club."
Despite his domestic success, you could say the move didn't really work out, and he will no doubt hope to have a better relationship with his new Inter Miami supporters.