Messi snubs Barcelona in his list of potential Champions League winners

It is a well-known fact that the sensational moves that Paris Saint-Germain pulled off during the summer transfer window had a big goal in mind: winning the UEFA Champions League. Despite this, new arrival Lionel Messi knows that the competition is tough and PSG will have to fight tooth and nail for the title. Interestingly, while listing out the other clubs that have a good chance of taking the title this season, he left out his former club, FC Barcelona.

"Everyone thinks that Paris Saint-Germain will win the Champions League, but there are more teams," Messi said in an interview with France Football. He then proceeded to enumerate the contenders: "There is Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid who always do well, Bayern Munich and Inter. I don't know if I forgot any."

It is unclear if Messi deliberately left out the Blaugrana, or if he genuinely forgot. No one can blame him though, as Barcelona is in danger of not even making it out of the group stage. Ronald Koeman's side has so far failed to earn a single point in the competition after having lost both of their group stage matches so far.

Meanwhile, PSG have come close but have fallen short in recent seasons, but they have strengthened their squad this summer. Nevertheless, Messi does not think they are a shoo-in for the title. "We have some great individual players, but we still need to get to know each other well to form a team. To win titles it's important that you play as a team," he said.

He added that compared to other clubs, PSG are "a step behind" because many of the players have not yet gotten a chance to play together extensively. However, he definitely believes that the goal is within reach.

"The club has been working towards this goal for a few years now and recently they've come close," Messi said, before adding that he wants to win the Champions League with PSG just like he did with the Catalan giants. In total, he has lifted the European Cup four times with Barcelona, but he believes PSG currently has the tools to win the competition.