Paris Saint-Germain is once again the champion team of the French Ligue 1 Ligue 1 of France. It has set a record in titles with last Saturday's performance, although fans should not expect a repeat next season. Both Leo Messi and Neymar will probably not be with the team.
PSG at the top
Against FC Strasbourg Alsace, Lionel Messi scored a goal in a 1-1 draw and Paris Saint Germain won its record-breaking 11th French league title. Kevin Gameiro's equalizer led to the cancellation of Messi's opener in the Ligue 1 season, which ultimately led to PSG's 85-point win with 37 appearances.
With an undisputed four-point lead ahead of second-placed RC Lens' 81 points and 37 appearances, PSG reign supreme in the league. Their remarkable achievement of 11 titles surpasses Saint-Etienne's previous record of 10, which was set just a year ago.
Under Qatari ownership, PSG has been the dominant force in French soccer for the past 11 years, winning for the ninth time. Entering the final weekend of the season, PSG had a six-point lead over closest rivals Lens and had a superior goal difference. However, Lens confirmed their runner-up status with an emphatic 3-0 win over Ajaccio, leaving PSG as the only confirmed winners.
Messi scored his 16th goal of the season in Ligue 1 to give PSG the lead just before the hour mark, thanks to Kylian Mbappé's assist. PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma saved Morgan Sanson's shot, but Gameiro set up the equalizer for Strasbourg in the 79th minute. The draw ended up benefiting both teams as it gave Strasbourg a chance to secure their place in the top flight.
Ladies and Gentlemen, PSG IS CHAMPION OF FRANCE! 🏆❤️💙
With 1️⃣1️⃣ leagues, the capital club becomes the most successful in the history of #Ligue1. 🙌
✨ #𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐈𝐬𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐈𝐧𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 pic.twitter.com/TslDX9zFb3
- Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_espanol) May 27, 2023
Mbappé, the man to beat
After securing his fifth league title with Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappé has committed to staying with the club for at least one more season. This effectively quashed any further transfer speculation linking him to Real Madrid.
On Sunday, Ligue 1 announced that Mbappé had won his fourth consecutive Player of the Season award, surpassing the record previously held by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a former PSG soccer player, who had won the French league's Player of the Year award three times from 2013 to 2016.
Absent from the awards ceremony was Messi, who was also a contender for the Player of the Season award. Instead, he was in Barcelona in what could be a hint of things to come. Messi's contract with Paris Saint-Germain is up and perhaps he will return to the only other team he has known in his professional career.
However, the trip was not all for work. Messi was also spotted at a Cold Play concert in Barcelona, along with his wife.
Neymar's name was absent from the match that led to the title, as well as the festivities that followed. In another possible sign of a shake-up coming to the team, the Brazilian soccer star was nowhere near his team this weekend.
Neymar was unable to play, according to the team, due to injury. However, instead of being by his team's side in a critical game, he was busy elsewhere. He skipped out to play poker at a casino, as well as to watch the Monaco F1 Grand Prix.
There appears to be an impending loss of both Messi and Neymar, which could be an indication of bigger problems within the team's hierarchy. That doesn't mean Paris Saint-Germain are finished, but they will almost certainly go down next season.
