The ageing star being politically weaponised in two states’ soft-power games carries cautionary lessons for the Premier League
So this is how the end comes. Not with a bang. Not with a whimper. Not with a potentially decisive Ligue 1 double header against Troyes and Ajaccio. But instead with a trail of politically weaponised, oddly touching tourist photos.
Here is Lionel Messi staring at a falcon. Here is Lionel Messi looking confused next to a fence. Here is Lionel Messi interacting cautiously with a horse. Here, beyond the staged and clipped images, is an exercise in proxy war and geopolitics as expressed through the late-season schedule of an exceptionally talented 35-year-old converted winger.
Written by Barney Ronay
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/may/05/messi-and-psg-a-warning-from-history-and-for-manchester-united-saudi-arabia-qatar under the title “Messi and PSG: a warning from history – and for Manchester United”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
