The 35-year-old appeared to be past his prime during his maiden campaign in France. He is now prepared to reestablish himself as the finest player in the world. Last season, just before the start of Paris Saint-Ligue Germain’s 1 match against Bordeaux at the Parc des Princes, something amazing occurred. When the squad lineups were announced out by the stadium speaker, Lionel Messi’s name received jeers. The greatest footballer of all time, Lionel Messi, was jeered by his own supporters.
Messi wasn’t specifically criticized by PSG supporters, of course. Even after scoring the second goal in a 3-0 victory, Neymar received jeers. The Brazilian was the genuine representation of all that was wrong with PSG in the eyes of the angry fans; he served as the face of a Qatari plaything. The capital club may have been on track to win another Ligue 1 championship, but the football world was once again making fun of them when Real Madrid eliminated them from the Champions League in yet another dramatic defeat uncharacteristic of such an expensively built team.
The addition of Messi was supposed to lead to a first Champions League victory with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe already in the attack, but it just led to more humiliation. Although the supporters didn’t think Messi was the root of PSG’s issues, they did see him as one of them. Against Madrid, he most certainly wasn’t at his spectacular best. There hadn’t been any flashy dribbles or accurate passes. However, his movement—or lack thereof—was what PSG supporters were most furious with. Jerome Rothen, a former midfielder, lashed out on RMC, saying, “He wandered around the pitch. He was in Luka Modric’s pocket.
“I’m hesitant to label Messi a fraud, but that’s the truth,” the speaker said. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner undoubtedly experienced a remarkable fall from grace last season, despite the fact that such comments may have seemed like sacrilege. Before the new year, he only scored one goal in Ligue 1. Only six were left when he was done. He hadn’t put up as few goals in the league since the 2005–2006 season, when he was just 18 and making his way into Barcelona’s first squad. Messi appeared to be done. But in truth, he was simply worn out—both mentally and physically.
First off, Messi had been somewhat depleted by the summer. The searing low of his Barcelona leaving followed the high of Argentina’s Copa America victory. Both made me cry, but they did so for very different reasons. The achievement of international success served as a release for Messi and the elimination of a burden he had long carried. When he fell to the ground at the Maracana on the evening of July 10, 2021, there was relief as well as delight. It appeared to be a pleasant conclusion. Nothing but that was his Barcelona departure. Messi appeared distraught and shocked this time as the tears started to fall.
In the words of Luis Suarez’s former teammate and close friend, “Leo endured much of pain. In his farewell news conference at Barcelona, Messi cried in a way I had never seen him weep before. He felt pain.” In addition, he was confused because of how rapidly everything occurred. He hardly had time to process leaving Barcelona, his home for 20 years, before attempting to start a new life in a new city after his move to Paris Saint-Germain was announced just two days after he bid farewell to Camp Nou.
Therefore, it is not at all strange that Messi took some time to adjust in Paris. Although looking for a home may be far more fun for multi-millionaires, the process took longer than he and his partner, Antonella Roccuzzo, anticipated. As a result, the Messi family was forced to spend six weeks living in a hotel, which is never enjoyable, no matter how opulent the setting. The No. 10 acknowledged to Le Figaro that “the kids couldn’t handle it any longer.” Also postponed was Messi’s debut. He missed PSG’s first two games of the season because, understandably, he wasn’t fully healed after his efforts with Argentina.
He had a slight foot injury as he was still catching up. An international call-up followed that. Messi was still having trouble playing consistently by the end of October. Even while he showed flashes of brilliance in the comfortable setting of the Champions League, most notably against Manchester City, adjusting to Ligue 1 was proving to be an unexpected challenge. Messi told Sport that “in Spain, all the teams want to play a lot more and they hold the ball from you if you don’t press properly.” “The games in Ligue 1 are more physical, fiercely contested, and full of back and forth. The athletes are powerful and quick. There are significant physical changes.”
Additionally, Messi was plainly being hampered by minor problems that were directly attributable to the fact that he had missed the preseason. Although his performance significantly improved in the second part of the season, PSG’s rollercoaster campaign came to a bitter finish. Despite winning the championship, they lost the backing of many of their supporters. Messi is among those who have profited from the obvious improvements that have to be made. The decision to fire Leonardo as sports director was seen by the supporters as long overdue since they held the Brazilian accountable for both the club’s entitlement culture and poor recruitment.
It may be argued that Leonardo dealt Mauricio Pochettino a lousy hand as well, but the Argentine unquestionably played it poorly, necessitating his departure as well. Given that PSG is currently undefeated in all competitions, hiring Christophe Galtier is unquestionably looking like a wise decision. Additionally, Messi and the former Nice manager already have a fantastic friendship. The Argentine’s conditioning, position, and game plans for forthcoming opponents are all topics they discuss on a regular basis. Galtier and his coaching staff have been caught away by Messi’s technical acumen, but they may have been even more so by the manner the veteran handled the new campaign.
During the transfer season, there was growing concern that Messi, a notoriously reclusive person, may become even more reclusive as a result of the departure of his two closest friends, Leandro Paredes and Angel Di Maria. Messi, meanwhile, had already made his way back to PSG with a completely new outlook. He was adamant on becoming noticed. Messi told Star+, “I feel well physically since I was able to have a really strong pre-season this year. “In order to start this season in a different manner, that was thus crucial. But I also came in with a new outlook and lots of energy.”
Galtier, who often observes both, claims that Messi is one of the key reasons he looks forward to getting to work each morning. Leo is an inspiration to our players, the coach stated. “Leo is always participating in training, always smiling, and he connects with all of his team-mates.” He serves as a model for others to imitate. I believe he is content, and the team always cheers when Leo smiles. His classmates adore and respect him. This is why he has proven to be such an important team player; he is a quiet yet engaging individual who can ease the stress in the locker room.
In fact, it seemed as though the simmering conflict between Neymar and Mbappe was about to explode at the beginning of the season. Messi has helped close the gap with his upbeat demeanor even if the pair’s relationship is still tense. Naturally, he has a long friendship with Neymar. Messi has, however, also developed a fantastic rapport with Mbappe and has never shied away from praising the France attacker. So, even if it may be based on a shaky alliance, PSG’s celebrated offensive trio finally seems to be living up to its lofty promise, with both Neymar and Messi experiencing a comeback this year.
Their attention is definitely centered on the World Cup. Messi has said that he is counting down the minutes till his final chance to compete in the competition. Of course, PSG will be aware of this, but they won’t care because they are benefiting from having a healthy and motivated Messi on their roster. No player in Europe’s “Big Five” leagues has completed more dribbles than he has this season, which has already seen him score eight goals and dish out as many assists (53, 15 more than Vinicius Junior). So, Campos’ current goal is to sign the No. 10 to a new contract.
PSG are prepared to extend Messi’s contract until 2024 with the possibility of an additional year, GOAL reported earlier this week. Now that he has finally found his footing on and off the field, it is very probable that he may decide to stay at the Parc des Princes. Messi has declined to return to Barcelona next summer, in contrast to recent rumours from Argentina and Spain. Goal is aware that his choice on his future won’t be made until after the World Cup. He is currently content to simply enjoy his renaissance. PSG is also.
Galtier was questioned on the possibility of Messi reclaiming his title as the best player in the world last week and responded, “Yes, if he maintains his fantastic shape! He’s healthy and content. Leo performs when he feels joyful.” This season may be Messi’s finest one yet; last year may have been the lowest of his storied career. Obviously, he won’t put up the statistics he did during his prime at Barcelona, but Argentina being one of the favorites to win the World Cup and PSG appearing to have a shot at winning the Champions League bode well for Messi’s 2022–23 season.
Of course, the most important thing is that he is once again loving his football. He appears to be the elderly man. The real Lionel Messi has returned after being separated from the “fake” of previous season.