Why has Messi only scored one goal in 13 games for PSG? Lewandowski may have the answer
Stefan Bienkowski
- 4 Feb 2022 15:45 GMT
- 5 min read
Lionel Messi is coming up on the six-month anniversary of his move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain and it’s probably safe to say that things haven’t exactly gone to plan.
While the French giants are on course to win another league title and could still challenge for the Champions League, Messi’s own form hasn’t exactly been as exemplary as it could have been.
Of course, the Argentina international has looked as good as ever in European competition, with no less than five goals from five games.
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However, when it comes to form in domestic competitions, Messi has managed just one goal and six assists in 13 games.
And while that may be a perfectly fine return for most players, this forward in particular has set his standards higher than just about any player in the history of the sport.
So why isn’t Messi scoring as many goals as he once did? To answer that question, we may need to turn to Ballon d’Or rival and Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski.
When recently asked about his goal scoring only getting better and Cristiano Ronaldo’s eye for goal at new club Manchester United, Lewandowski made an intriguing comparison between the two strikers and Messi’s own game.
'It may be harder for Messi at Ronaldo's age...'
"Cristiano is 3.5 years older than me and still scores a lot. But he changed the club, changed tactics, his team is not always successful,” said Lewandowski in an interview with Polish magazine Pilka Nozna.
"When his team regains balance, he can start scoring goals again. He used to have great numbers, impossible numbers, today they are 'just' very good numbers.
“He's probably not going to score 60 goals in a year anymore, but 30 and 40 are still making a difference."
"The expectations of him are quite different. And Messi is a different type of player. It will be harder for him at the age of Cristiano to stay at his goal scoring level."
Indeed, Lewandowski went even further and suggested that Ronaldo was perhaps more adaptable because of the number of clubs he’s played for and the different languages that he speaks.
Which, in turn, is something that the Portugal international has over Messi. And Lewandowski even suggested that the Argentinian forward’s struggles at PSG may be down to him never moving to a new club before now.
"For Messi, changing clubs was certainly a much more overwhelming experience. He has never played in a country other than Spain, never spoken another language,” said the Poland international.
"He encountered a communication barrier. Cristiano has changed clubs and leagues several times before.
“The age at which you change teams is not important, different circumstances are decisive."
