Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Paris Saint-Germain's chairman, has revealed why Lionel Messi was not allowed to parade the World Cup at Parc Des Princes.
The 36-year-old former Barcelona playmaker and his Albiceleste teammates defeated France in Qatar to win the 2022 World Cup while still at PSG.
The Argentina star was superb throughout the competition, scoring seven goals for his team.
In an interview with Miguel Granados on OLGA last year, Messi acknowledged he 'wasn't happy' at the Parc des Princes and appeared disappointed with his post-World Cup treatment.
'That was understandable,' he replied. 'We were in a scenario where we [Argentina] were world champions, and it was our responsibility that they [France] were not champions again.'
Messi and his former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe each scored five goals in a thrilling final in Qatar, leading Argentina to victory on penalties.
Al-Khelaifi has now revealed that he couldn't let Messi celebrate at Parc des Princes since Mbappe was on the losing team.
In an interview with RMC TV, Al-Khelaifi stated: "For me, as I said, if anyone talks about the fact that we didn't celebrate him enough after he won the World Cup, we're in France, and he won against Kylian."
'We're a French club. I don't want the entire stadium to be against him either. I think we should respect that.
In September, Al-Khelaifi provided a different account of events following Messi's appearance on OLGA. According to Football Espana, he stated: 'As everyone saw, because we even broadcast a video, we celebrated Messi at training, as well as in private.
'With all respect, we are a French club. It was understandably sensitive to celebrate in the stadium. We must honor the country he vanquished, his France colleagues, and our supporters.
Messi scored 32 goals in 75 games in the French city, helping his team win back-to-back Ligue 1 crowns.