In his suite at the Royal Monceau hotel in Paris, Leo Messi is learning to live outside Barcelona. In 20 years at FC Barcelona, he won the Golden Ball for world’s best player six times. Until August 5, the 34-year-old Argentine expected to continue his small-town dad’s existence in placid coastal Catalonia. But then a financially stricken Barça admitted it couldn’t offer him a new contract.
He cried, then joined Paris St-Germain — which, like the Royal Monceau, is owned by the Qatari state. Messi has joined Qatar’s scheme to “sportswash” its global reputation. On a personal level, he and his wife and three sons may struggle with their unwanted move. But on the field, he will keep displaying his uniquely reliable genius.
His father Jorge was a manager in a steel factory in Rosario, Argentina, but after the tiny 13-year-old wowed Barça at a trial training session, the Messis inverted their family structure: the youngest son became the migrant breadwinner.