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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Alex Young

Lionel Messi hits out at PSG fans after booing: ‘That’s how they behave’

Lionel Messi has suggested his "fractured" relationship with Paris Saint-Germain fans was of no surprise as "that's the way they behave".

The World Cup winner ended two seasons in Ligue 1 with a record of 32 goals and 34 assists in 75 games, winning three trophies including the league title twice.

But Messi's final months at the club saw him booed by a "significant" section of the fanbase and the club increase security at his home. Asked if Argentina beating France in the World Cup Final was a factor, Messi was unsure.

"I think in the beginning it was something wonderful," Messi told beIN Sports of his relationship with the club's fans.

"But then some people started to treat me differently, a part of the Paris supporters. I think the vast majority still see me and treat me as they did at the beginning, but there was a fracture with a significant group of the Paris fans, which obviously wasn't my intention, far from it.

"It happened just as it had happened before with [Kylian] Mbappe, with Neymar. I know that's the way they behave.

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"I'll take away with me the people who respected me, as I always respected everyone since I arrived and that's all."

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