Why Project Messi has been a total failure
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
- 4 min read
It’s official: Lionel Messi is a Paris Saint-Germain flop.
The Argentine, who arrived on a hastily arranged free transfer from Barcelona in the summer, had been shielded from criticism to some extent thanks to his strong record in the Champions League, in which he had scored five goals in five group stage games.
Meanwhile, in Ligue 1, he has struggled to function. While Messi has tallied a very respectable 10 assists, he has scored only two goals. These are not the numbers that a player of his talent is being paid handsomely to produce.
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Forget the adaption process – Messi has been in France for seven months now – the issues with illness, international duty and injury, it’s clear that this is a transfer that has not worked for anyone. He has had two full months of competition behind him since the winter break and looks little different from the player who was protected in the autumn.
READ MORE: Death, taxes and PSG bottling it in the Champions League
Messi’s credit in the bank has now dried up.
Adding the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner to the PSG mix along with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe has served only to unbalance further what was already a lop-sided team. Where it was hoped that the Parisians might be able to blow opponents away offensively, they have too often looked stilted and lifeless. Defensively, of course, the lack of cover this trio provides needs no introduction.
Even in Ligue 1, where they enjoy a healthy lead at the top of the standings, they have often had to rely on late goals and individualism to get the job done. It is said a league table never lies, well the one in France does: PSG are nowhere near as dominant as it might portray.
Messi not to blame
Of course, all these issues are not Messi’s fault. They are far deeper than any one player and extend back years before he arrived at Parc des Princes as a player. There has been a lack of long-term vision in their squad building, with transfers, such as Gini Wijnaldum, apparently made out of expediency or for marketing reasons.
Nevertheless, as one of the greatest stars the game has ever produced, he is unfortunate in that the spotlight will inevitably fall on him.
It is irrelevant what Messi does between now and the end of the season; it will be worthless. He could score 30 goals in the remaining league matches but these would not be worth a cent. The league is already won and PSG are knocked out of the one competition they care about.
How both the player and the club move forward from here is far less obvious. It may even suit both if the relationship ends this summer, but with the Argentine’s huge wages, it is doubtful anyone is willing and able to take him on.
PSG was meant to be Messi’s chance to show his critics that he could cut it away from Barcelona: he has not been able to do so.
