Lionel Messi to Start for PSG After Being Suspended, Confirms Coach Christophe Galtier

Lionel Messi will start Paris St Germain’s Ligue 1 game against Ac Ajaccio on Saturday after returning to training following a club-imposed suspension, coach Christophe Galtier said on Friday.

“I spoke with him on Tuesday to see what his mindset was and I found him very determined to play… He will start tomorrow,” Galtier told a press conference.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner sat out last weekend’s win at Troyes after missing a training session to fulfil commitments in his role as a Saudi tourism ambassador.

The Argentine later apologised to the club and his team-mates, and resumed training with PSG on Monday, but his time at the Parc des Princes is coming to a sad end.

The player’s focus is on winning the French title, however, Galtier said.

“He’s very eager to win that title,” the coach said.

“With him in the team we’ll have to adjust compared to what we did against Troyes. Leo is Leo. I’m not going to go into statistics but when he’s with us we have to strike a different balance.”

After two uninspiring years in France, Messi looks set to play in Saudi Arabia next season as part of a blockbuster deal that would see him follow arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo to the Gulf kingdom.

Messi, who turns 36 next month, will sign a “huge” contract with an as-yet-unnamed club, a source close to the negotiations told AFP this week.

“Messi is a done deal. He will play in Saudi Arabia next season,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“The contract is exceptional. It’s huge. We are just finalising some small details,” added the source, who is not authorised to speak to media.

PSG have yet to confirm the departure, while Messi’s father and agent Jorge insists the World Cup winner has not decided where he will play next season.

But it appears certain his stint at PSG will conclude in June, after the club hopes to celebrate a record 11th French league crown.

“If the club had wanted to renew his contract, it would have been done earlier,” said a PSG source.

(With inputs from Agencies)