Lionel Messi will start Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 game against AC Ajaccio on Saturday for the first time since his unapproved trip to Saudi Arabia.
Lionel Messi who is an ambassador for tourism in Saudi Arabia visited the country with his family following PSG’s home loss to Lorient on April 30 without permission from the club.
The unauthorized one-day trip to Saudi Arabia earned the 35-year-old Argentine captain a two-week suspension which the club overturned after just six days into the suspension.
Though PSG are currently topping the French Ligue 1 table with 78 points in 34 games, 6 points above second-placed Lens, three of their last four home games have ended in defeats.
On Saturday, May 13, AC Ajaccio will visit Parc Des Princes for PSG’s 35th league game of the season and all hands are expected to be on deck as the team push to win the league title again.
Ahead of the game which will kick off from 8 PM WAT, PSG’s coach Christophe Galtier said, “He [Messi] will start tomorrow (Saturday).
“I spoke with him on Tuesday to see what his mindset was and I found him very determined to play.”
The coach added, “He’s very eager to win that title.
“With him in the team, we’ll have to adjust compared to what we did against Troyes. Leo is Leo. I’m not going to go into statistics but when he’s with us we have to strike a different balance.”
OsunDaily News has reported that Messi has apologized to his teammates for going on the unapproved trip.
After missing PSG’s 3-1 victory over Troyes on Sunday, the 35-year-old returned to training on Monday.
When his contract with PSG expires in the summer, Messi is expected to leave the club.
In 28 Ligue 1 appearances for PSG this season, Messi has scored 15 goals and provided 15 assists.
