PSG officially confirmed Messi’s planned departure from the French giants after a two-season stint in a statement released shortly before Saturday’s game.
“His contribution to Paris Saint-Germain and Ligue 1 cannot be underestimated and we wish Leo and his family all the best for the future,” said the PSG president. Nasser al-Khelaifi.
Still, Messi’s name was mocked by some fans when the squads were announced at the Parc des Princes and the Argentine World Cup winner was again whistled sporadically during the game.
There was little to do in the match itself after PSG won a record 11th French title last weekend, and Christophe Galtier’s side managed to squash a two-goal lead .
Sergio Ramos, whose departure from PSG was confirmed on Friday, marked his final appearance by heading a cross from Vitinha for the opener in the 16th minute.
Mbappe, who is looking to complete a fifth straight season as Ligue 1 top scorer, then scored a penalty to make it 2-0 with his 29th league goal this season, which he scored while holding the jersey number 16 of goalkeeper Sergio Rico.
Spaniard Rico, substitute goalkeeper for PSG, is hospitalized in Seville in serious condition after being injured in a riding accident last weekend.
“The most important thing was the tribute to Sergio,” Mbappe told Canal Plus channel.
“There are more important things than football, and on the pitch we were already champions. We could have lost 22-0 and it wouldn’t have changed anything for us.
“We had to pay tribute to Sergio. I think we’ve all been affected by an extremely serious situation. We’ve been worrying about this all week and so we’ve tried to pay tribute in the best way possible.”
Mbappe’s goal tally left him two leads over Lyonnais Alexandre Lacazette in the final standings.
Johan Gastien pounced on an error from Marco Verratti to pull back a goal for Clermont, who then saw Grejohn Kyei miss a penalty.
The visitors then equalized in first-half stoppage time when Mehdi Zeffane scored from close range after Gianluigi Donnarumma knocked the ball down.
Kyei secured the winner for Clermont in the second half when he turned a cross with his knee.
A famous win for Clermont sees them finish the season in eighth place.
PSG lifted the league trophy after the game but end the season with seven league defeats, all suffered in 2023.
(With contributions from AFP)
