Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi appeared to storm down the tunnel at the full time whistle after Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 loss to Rennes on Sunday at home, while his teammates remained on the pitch. Rennes’ Karl Toko Ekambi scored just before halftime, and Arnaud Kalimuendo doubled his team’s lead early in the second half at Parc des Princes, to hand the home side an embarrassing defeat in front of their fans.

Christophe Galtier’s men struggled to turn the tide of the match in their favour after being knocked out of the Champions League earlier this month by Bayern Munich. Following their Ligue 1 loss to Rennes, footage emerged of PSG players applauding the Parc des Princes faithful. However, while his PSG teammates were on the field, the footage showed a visibly frustrated Lionel Messi marching down the tunnel and straight into the locker room.

Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi couldn’t inspire PSG as they lost 2-0 to Rennes at home in the Ligue 1. Credits: Twitter

Fans convinced Lionel Messi is leaving PSG in the summer

Since returning to Paris as the World Cup winner with Argentina in December, Lionel Messi has been recipient to a hostile environment from the PSG fans. The club has also been knocked out of the the Champions League from the round of 16 for a second season running, and much of the blame has been pinned on the Argentine.

When the Parc des Princes announcer confirmed Messi’s inclusion in the starting XI ahead of the Rennes match, some PSG fans booed and whistled the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner. Messi’s current deal with the Parisians expires in the summer, and the Argentine forward’s future in the French capital has been called into question in recent months.

Lionel Messi has been linked with a sensational return to Barcelona, as well as attracted immense interest from the MLS and Saudi Arabia. However, the recent incident of the 35-year-old snubbing his teammates on the pitch and rather choosing to head down the tunnel has the fans convinced that Messi heading back to his former home Barcelona in the summer is now stamped. Fans reacted: