After winning the World Cup, Lionel Messi took advantage of some time off with his family in the Alps thanks to holiday leave offered by Paris Saint-Germain.
Consequently, what happened?Messi made a delayed comeback to domestic action following Argentina’s victory. He played in two Ligue 1 matches before opening the score in PSG’s friendly against Cristiano Ronaldo and the Saudi all-stars on Thursday. Since then, the 35-year-old has been granted another spell of leave by the club, which he celebrated in the French Alps with his spouse Antonela Roccuzzo and kids.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Kylian Mbappe scored five goals alone as a full-strength PSG team thrashed sixth-tier Pays de Cassel 7-0 on Monday, proving that Messi’s absence thus far hasn’t been felt. Sunday marks Christophe Galtier’s team’s return to Ligue 1 play. They will be hosting Stade de Reims, currently in 11th position, and hoping to avoid losing three straight games.
FUTURE PLANS FOR MESSI?The Argentina star’s return date is unknown, so it’s doubtful that he’ll be back in time to play in that match; the matches against Montpellier and Toulouse the following week look more plausible.
