Lionel Messi has once again found himself amid controversy after skipping the UNFP award ceremony. Messi was invited alongside several other PSG stars to the UNFP awards held last night. Messi was one of the nominees for the Ligue 1 player of the season which also included Kylian Mbappe. However, PSG’s number 30 decided to snub the award ceremony.
Messi skipped PSG’s trophy ceremony for Coldplay.
Goated play. 🎶 pic.twitter.com/28VHbblAfY
— Barstool Football (@StoolFootball) May 28, 2023
Lionel Messi was spotted at a Coldplay concert in Barcelona on the night of the award ceremony. The Argentine star was seen with his wife Antonella Roccuzzo. Several videos have emerged where fans were serenading the 2022 World Cup-winning captain. Messi was also later seen enjoying a light moment with his former Barcelona teammate Cesc Fabregas at the concert.
Leo Messi and his wife Antonela with the band Coldplay. pic.twitter.com/0W7Za0X4jh
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) May 29, 2023
Some fans have speculated that Messi was in Barcelona to attend the farewell ceremony of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba later this week. Messi’s former club FC Barcelona had invited him to attend the ceremonies in an attempt to make him feel welcome again at the club. However, the former Barcelona talisman has reportedly declined the invitation due to his commitments to PSG.
In the aftermath of Messi’s controversial trip to Saudi Arabia a few weeks ago, his decision to skip the award functions has added fuel to the fire. Despite being on the brink of an exit from the French club, Messi was expected to attend the award ceremony. However, other PSG stars such as Gianluigi Donnarumma, Fabian Ruiz, and Carlos Soler also skipped the award ceremonies besides Messi.
Kylian Mbappe thanks Lionel Messi in his award acceptance speech
Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe had a historic night as he was crowned the Ligue 1 Player of the Year for the fourth consecutive time. The French star has been phenomenal for his club this season. Mbappe leads the league’s top scorer charts with 28 goals and 5 assists with a game in hand. Mbappe has played a crucial role in securing PSG’s record-breaking 11th Ligue 1 title.
𝘈𝘙𝘎𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘐𝘈𝘕 𝘍𝘓𝘈𝘐𝘙 🇦🇷✨
Can Messi (16 with 2 games left) reach Di Maria’s league assists record (18) in a single in season? pic.twitter.com/sigkD8pppP
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) May 27, 2023
Kylian Mbappe faced stiff competition from his teammate Lionel Messi for the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award. Messi also has been impressive this season with 16 goals and 16 assists. Messi can also break his Argentine teammate Angel Di Maria’s record for most assists in Ligue 1 in a season (18). However, despite Messi’s absence from the award ceremony, Mbappe didn’t forget his teammate.
During his acceptance speech for the award, Mbappe mentioned Messi and thanked him. He said, “Of course, I thank Leo (Messi), who has helped me a lot along with all the players.” The PSG duo’s combination has been top-notch this season. Mbappe will probably play his final game with Messi as his teammate later this week in PSG‘s final game of the season against Clermont.