It feels like a lifetime ago that Lionel Messi was wearing the dark blue of Paris Saint-Germain, but the timeline is actually pretty fresh. If you're looking for the short answer to when did messi leave psg, the official date was June 3, 2023. That was the night he played his final match at the Parc des Princes against Clermont Foot. His actual contract technically ran until June 30, 2023, but the football world basically moved on the second that final whistle blew in Paris.
Honestly, the exit wasn't the fairy tale people expected when he arrived from Barcelona in 2021. It was messy. It was loud. And by the end, it was kind of sad.
The Breaking Point: When Did Messi Leave PSG for Good?
The official announcement from the club dropped on a Saturday afternoon, right before their last game of the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season. PSG put out a statement thanking him for two seasons, but the atmosphere in the stadium told a different story. Messi was actually booed by a section of the home crowd during the trophy celebrations. Imagine that. The greatest player to ever lace up boots getting whistled while lifting a league title.
Things had started to unravel months before the actual departure date. You might remember the whole Saudi Arabia saga in May 2023. Messi took an unauthorized trip to fulfill his duties as a tourism ambassador, and the club suspended him for two weeks. Although he apologized and the suspension was shortened, the "fracture"—as Messi later called it—with the fans was permanent.
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Why the June 2023 Departure Felt Inevitable
People often ask why he didn't just stay one more year. He had an option for a third season in his contract, but neither side really wanted to pull the trigger. PSG was moving toward a new "project" focused less on aging superstars and more on French talent (and keeping Kylian Mbappé happy). Messi, meanwhile, was clearly struggling with life in Paris.
He later admitted to Zane Lowe in a 2025 interview that those two years were a struggle. He wasn't happy on a daily basis. The adaptation was harder than he expected. When you've spent 21 years in one city like Barcelona, moving to a place where you're being blamed for Champions League exits is a tough pill to swallow.
The Timeline of the Exit
To keep things clear, here is how the final months played out:
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- May 3, 2023: Reports began circulating heavily that Messi’s father, Jorge, had already told PSG officials his son wouldn't be returning.
- May 4, 2023: The "Saudi suspension" made international headlines, effectively ending any chance of a contract renewal.
- June 1, 2023: Coach Christophe Galtier let it slip in a press conference that the upcoming match would be Messi's last. The club tried to walk it back initially, but the cat was out of the bag.
- June 3, 2023: Messi plays his 75th and final game for PSG. They lost 3-2 to Clermont, a weirdly poetic end to a confusing era.
- June 7, 2023: Just four days after his final PSG game, Messi sat down with Spanish outlets Mundo Deportivo and Sport to announce he was heading to Inter Miami.
Was It a Failure?
It depends on who you ask. Statistically, the guy was still a machine. In his final season, he racked up 21 goals and 20 assists across all competitions. Those are video game numbers for a 35-year-old. He won two Ligue 1 titles and a Trophée des Champions.
But PSG fans didn't care about domestic titles. They wanted the Champions League. When the team crashed out against Real Madrid in 2022 and then Bayern Munich in 2023—both times in the Round of 16—the fans looked for a scapegoat. Messi, being the highest-paid and most famous, was the easiest target.
There's also the "World Cup factor." Messi achieved his ultimate dream of winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar while he was a PSG player. Ironically, he beat France (and his teammate Mbappé) in the final. For some Parisian supporters, seeing Messi save his best performances for Argentina while "walking" through Ligue 1 games was the final straw.
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The Inter Miami Shift
By the time late June rolled around, the conversation had shifted entirely to Florida. The $1.4 billion offer from Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal was real, and a return to Barcelona was the romantic choice, but Messi chose lifestyle and family. Since leaving PSG, he’s looked like a completely different person—smiling, relaxed, and dominating MLS.
He even recently signed a contract extension with Inter Miami through 2028, proving that the move to the States wasn't just a quick retirement tour. It was a complete lifestyle pivot away from the pressure cooker of European elite football.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're following the career of the GOAT or looking to understand the market for his career milestones, keep these facts in mind:
- Final PSG Stats: Messi ended his stint with 32 goals and 35 assists in 75 appearances.
- Memorabilia Value: Match-worn shirts from the June 3, 2023 game against Clermont are considered highly collectible as they represent the final "European chapter" of his career.
- Contractual Status: Messi is now officially tied to Inter Miami through the 2028 season, which likely means he will retire in the United States rather than returning to Europe.
The "Paris Experiment" will likely be remembered as a strange, two-year detour. It was a period where the world's best player won the world's biggest trophy, yet felt completely out of place at his own club. When he left PSG in June 2023, it wasn't just the end of a contract; it was the end of an era for European football.