A missed practice, a Saudi vacation and a brief suspension brought a sudden end to a star’s transactional relationship with Paris St.-Germain, and Qatar.
The moment the private jet carrying Lionel Messi to a lucrative sponsorship engagement in Saudi Arabia taxied onto a French runway early this week, his career at Paris St.-Germain was effectively over.
The suspension would come a day later. The official parting won’t happen until his contract expires in a few weeks. The blame game may go on for months.
But by Wednesday there was no doubt on the main points: Messi will never play for P.