Lionel Messi named Ligue 1’s overseas player of the season after scoring 16 league goals for PSG… with the Argentine star bound for Inter Miami after deciding against staying in Paris
- Messi has scooped one final accolade before leaving European football
- Ligue 1 have named the Argentine the best foreign player of the 2022-23 season
- He scored 16 league goals and registered 16 assists as PSG won another title
Lionel Messi has been named Ligue 1’s best overseas player of last season.
The Argentine, who won the World Cup midway through the campaign, scored 16 league goals and supplied 16 assists for Paris Saint-Germain in 2022-23.
The 36-year-old’s contributions helped PSG claim another French league title before Messi decided to leave the club and sign for Inter Miami in MLS.
Messi rejected a hugely lucrative offer to sign for Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League and turned down a romantic return to Barcelona to go and play Stateside.
He is expected to make his first Inter Miami appearance in July, having agreed a deal through until December 2025 reportedly worth $60million [£47m] per year.
Ligue 1 have named Lionel Messi as their best foreign player of the 2022-23 season
Messi enjoyed a good campaign as PSG retained their Ligue 1 title – before announcing his exit
The Argentine poses with his team-mates as they celebrate another Ligue 1 title for PSG
Messi scored 32 goals in 75 matches across all competitions during his two seasons with PSG, having signed from Barcelona in 2021.
But despite helping the club to win back-to-back league titles, he was unable to inspire them to a first Champions League triumph.
In May, Messi was suspended for two weeks by PSG after taking an unauthorised two-day trip to Saudi Arabia as part of his ambassadorial duties for the country.
After an apology, Messi returned to Christophe Galtier’s squad but his departure was confirmed a few days later.
Messi was back in his hometown of Rosario over the weekend for a testimonial game for ex-teammate Maxi Rodriguez before doing the same for Juan Roman Riquelme in Buenos Aires.
‘It is a very nice feeling to have been able to be at [Riquelme’s] testimonial, with all that he means for football in Argentina, what he means to Boca, to be once again in ‘La Bombonera’, Messi told Argentinian Public Television, via Goal.
Messi told Argentinian Public Television he is ‘very excited’ about moving to south Florida
Messi celebrated his 36th birthday with wife Antonella and sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro
‘Now there will be a few days of vacation and then I will start in my new city, my new club, I am very excited.’
Messi scored a first half hat-trick in the hometown appearance as 42,000 watched on and sang ‘happy birthday’ after he turned 36 Saturday.
Inter Miami appeared to tease Messi‘s new shirt number in an Instagram post celebrating his birthday.
The team tagged Messi in an Instagram graphic saying ‘Feliz Cumple’ – Spanish for ‘happy birthday’ with the ‘le’ at the end painted to look like the number ’10’.
