Lionel Messi is understood to have been suspended by Paris Saint-Germain for two weeks for an unsanctioned trip to Saudi Arabia.
The Ligue 1 giants have punished the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner after he left for the Middle East on Sunday night, hours after a 3-1 home defeat to Lorient. Rather than train with his club, Messi was in Saudi Arabia and found himself in trouble with his bosses
It is understood Messi, who is a tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia, requested permission to make the trip but was denied.
The 35-year-old was expected at training on Monday by boss Christophe Galtier.
However, he was absent and was pictured in Riyadh, and he posted an image promoting the country on his social media.
He captioned the picture, which featured a row of palm trees: “Who thought Saudi has so much green? I love to explore its unexpected wonders whenever I can. #visitsaudi.”
Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb also tweeted about Messi’s visit on Monday.
“I am happy to welcome Messi and his family to Saudi to enjoy the magical tourist destinations and authentic experiences,” Al-Khateeb wrote.
“We welcome visitors from all around the world to experience a unique trip to Saudi Arabia and its hospitality.”
PSG have yet to publicly comment on the matter, but it has been widely reported in France that Messi has now been hit with a two-week suspension with immediate effect.
It is understood he will not play or train with the club and not be paid during his suspension.
After penning a contract worth £52million-a-year, it will mean the former Barcelona star will miss out on £2m in wages.
In total, Messi will miss two matches for PSG as they look to win Ligue 1 where they are five points clear of Marseille at the top of the table.
The first is an away trip to Troyes on May 7 before facing AC Ajaccio the following week on May 13.
Messi married to great fanfare in 2021, but looks likely to leave in the summer, with his suspension almost certainly speeding the process up.
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