PSG: How is Lionel Messi remembered?

success or flop

It says a lot about Paris Saint-Germain’s season that most of the news surrounding the club these days revolves around the possibility of the biggest stars leaving in the summer. This can be observed most clearly for weeks in the case of Lionel Messi, in which the extension of the expiring contract initially seemed a matter of time – until the big goals in the Champions League were missed again with a bang. The question now is when it will be announced where the 35-year-old is going next.

Messi has always fueled a remarkable amount of speculation but it seems like transfer rumors have reached a new high. The Argentine world champions are said to have a number of options in the summer: the USA, the Middle East and even a return to FC Barcelona. Loud “ESPNThe attacker is considering a move to Saudi Arabia, where Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr FC rival Al-Hilal is said to have made him a multimillion-dollar offer. “The AthleticIn turn, writes in a recent report that a deal between Inter Miami and Messi is likely, so he prefers the USA. And of course, Barcelona continue to make public efforts to lure the prodigal son back.

Messi is a PSG professional for at least eight Ligue 1 games. Before he leaves French football, it’s worth taking a closer look at the legacy Messi is leaving there.

Goals not at the crucial moment: how good was Lionel Messi at PSG?

So how has Messi been at PSG since leaving Barcelona in 2021 as the most valuable free transfer in history? “In terms of his personal stats, Messi has had two good seasons at PSG, especially the current one in which he has already contributed 19 goals and 18 assists,” says Ronan Caroff, Area Manager France at Transfermarkt. “But Messi didn’t move to PSG to have nice stats. He was set to help the club win the long-awaited Champions League title and in his two seasons in the capital the team failed to progress beyond the last 16. Unfortunately, people are more likely to remember that failure on the big stage than his stats and national titles.”

Indeed, Messi has an impressive tally of 20 goals and 29 assists in 51 games for PSG in France’s top flight, but his performance records in European competitions for the record champions point to a problem or two. Notably, despite having contributed nine goals and four assists in 14 games, Messi failed to register a goal or assist against Real Madrid in the club’s exit from the competition in the 2021/22 season and was also powerless when Bayern Munich beat PSG in that one Knocked out of the competition for the season. Therefore, if Messi was signed as a difference player for those very games, he didn’t live up to expectations.

How will Lionel Messi be remembered at PSG?

The failures in Europe resulted in Messi being booed multiple times by PSG fans over time: first time last season after losing to Real and now twice after defeats against Bayern. Therefore, if the world champion were to leave in the summer, it’s hard to say how fans will look back on his time at the club. “The relationship between PSG fans and Messi is difficult,” said Ligue 1 expert Caroff. “It’s been a long time since he went to the Ultras like almost all of his teammates at the end of a game. Since PSG fans can be really passionate, that kind of cold relationship isn’t a good indication of what they think of Messi at the moment.”

So does this mean that Messi’s time at the club will be considered a failure? “In the scenario where he leaves soon, I think that over time most fans will still appreciate that they had Lionel Messi on their team for two seasons,” Caroff adds, but offers an important counterpoint: “A world-renowned star like him should have taken PSG to a higher level and these two seasons haven’t felt like a development for the club at all. So they are fortunate to have had one, if not the greatest footballer in history on their team, but bitter that it hasn’t had a bigger impact on the club’s results.”

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