JAKARTA - Lionel Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the summer of 2021. He made his unsatisfactory debut season in the team from the French capital.
The Argentine national team star then performed better in his second season. However, the 35-year-old has now been deemed a failure after Les Parisiens were eliminated in the last 16 of the 2022/2023 European Champions League.
No doubt Messi is one of the greatest footballers of all time. His talent, skills, and success on the gridiron is undeniable evidence.
However, his status as a superstar made him often judged to use a different scale than other players. One of the basic reasons is what he has achieved.
The most important variety of individual awards, including the seven Ballons d'Or, could be benchmarks. In addition, trophies at both club and international levels, including the World Cup at the end of last year.
However, here are 5 basic reasons why Messi has failed at PSG:
Prior to Messi's arrival, Kylian Mbappe slowly established himself as the main player at PSG. He enjoyed all the freedom given to him.
Mbappe was able to fully express himself on the field and understand each other with Neymar. However, after Messi's arrival everything became complicated for Mbappe.
He had to give up his position as a winger and operate more as a center forward. This is what makes the French international increasingly associated with the exit.
PSG is one of the richest clubs in the world and has invested heavily in the transfer market lately. All of that they did was for the sake of ambition to win the European Champions League, a trophy that was not yet in their cupboard.
Winning the competition between European clubs will be the culmination of their achievements after dominance at the domestic level. Recruiting Messi is one of their main goals to fulfill that ambition.
However, despite all the superstars they managed to recruit and all the elite coaches they have to coach the club, PSG have not been able to achieve European glory.
Messi's arrival should have helped change their fate. However, since Messi joined the club, PSG have been knocked out twice in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Lionel Messi's arrival at PSG is like a double-edged sword. In addition to adding a new dimension to the team's attacking ability, the presence of La Pulga also poses several challenges for the club's long-term planning.
Messi who is paid as high as the sky automatically limits PSG's ability to invest in younger players. In short, Messi's presence made PSG have to shift their focus from long-term plans.
Apart from Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar, the two attacker options PSG have are Hugo Ekitike, who is 20 years old and Ilyes Housni, who is 17 years old. The names now only play two games in all competitions this season.
Messi has drowned in several of Paris Saint-Germain's biggest matches since joining the club in the summer of 2021. That includes two matches in the last 16 of the 2021/2022 European Champions League against Real Madrid.
In addition, he was also barren with PSG in the last 16 of the same competition this season. The 35-year-old failed to create chances and scored in two legs against Bayern Munich.
That is proof that Qatar's 2022 World Cup winner cannot be expected in an important match. PSG finally returned early from the competition after losing 3-0 on aggregate.
PSG has been the most dominant football team in France over the past few years. They have won the Ligue 1 title eight times in the last 10 seasons.
Messi's arrival did not change their fate or drastically improve the team. The reason is, long before La Pulga arrived, PSG had so consistently had an established squad.
Their best performance in the Champions League recently was a trip to the 2019/2020 edition of the final, but then lost against Bayern Munich. That was before Messi arrived at the club.
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