PSG chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi aims subtle dig at Lionel Messi after Inter Miami exit

The outspoken PSG president heralded a new era at the French champions as he backed talisman Kylian Mbappe and new head coach Luis Enrique to deliver success this season

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi appeared to take a subtle dig at former superstars Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr as he heralded a new era at the club.

The world-famous forward duo departed Parc des Princes in the summer after both experiencing mixed fortunes in the French capital. With Kylian Mbappe now the team’s undisputed talisman following their departures, the club’s chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi made a revelatory assertion about the mood within the camp.

Le Parisiens have started the Ligue 1 season with two draws in their opening four matches after losing two of their leading lights during the summer. However, the chairman of the club’s parent organisation, Qatar Sports Investments, maintains he has no concerns.

In fact, the outspoken 49-year-old has insisted that this season represents a new “cycle” for the club after a tumultuous couple of years. Despite winning the league championship last term, the fact that PSG only made the last 16 of the Champions League for the second year running was a major blow.

However, now led by World Cup winner Mbappe, Al-Khelaifi is adamant that the team is more unified than ever before. Speaking to Record, he sung the praises of PSG’s star man, as well as new head coach Luis Enrique, suggesting the club is more “united” since Messi left.

“Kylian Mbappe is an incredible player and a fantastic person,” he said. “And the Paris Saint-Germain team, on and off the pitch, has never been so united, which I think was possible to see last weekend, during the game against Lyon.

“This year, in the new Paris Saint-Germain cycle, we are focusing less on results and more on performance and our style of play. If we do that, the results will appear accordingly. We have a fantastic coach and sporting director and I’m very happy with the spirit found at PSG.”

The comments appear to be a subtle reference towards the issues the team faced over the last two seasons, with Messi and Neymar on board. The megastar pair both left the club for Inter Miami and Al-Hilal, respectively, during the off-season after failing to live up to expectations.

Brazilian record goalscorer Neymar admitted that he and close friend Messi experienced a difficult time during their spell together in Paris. In an interview with Globo, the 31-year-old asserted: “I was very happy for the year [Messi] had, but at the same time very sad, because he lived both sides of the coin.

“He went to heaven with the Argentina team, won everything in recent years, and with Paris he lived hell, we lived through hell, both he and I.

“We get upset, because we’re not there for nothing, we’re there to do our best, [to] be champions, try to make history. That’s why we started playing together again, we came together there so we could make history. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it.”