Lionel Messi & PSG is still no great love story
The Argentine is under scrutiny again following a disappointing defeat to Bayern Munich
It was Valentine’s night at the Parc des Princes but there was no romantic return to Champions League football for Lionel Messi or Paris Saint-Germain. The French champions continued their terrible start to 2023 with another defeat – this time a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich – and a year-and-a-half into the Argentine’s time at PSG, it all feels a bit cold.
It still seems strange, too. In interviews throughout his long and successful career, Messi had always insisted he would either end his playing days in Barcelona or at boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys in his native Rosario. Transfer rumours were frequent, but he was not interested in playing anywhere else.
He had not wanted to leave Barça in 2021. But when he was told by the club that they could not afford to keep him, he and his family sought the best solution. That was Paris and PSG. It seemed like a marriage of convenience then and it still does now. The wages are great, the city is attractive and the team is among the biggest in Europe. Boxes were ticked. It’s a house, but not really a home.
At Barcelona, Messi was adored. He is adored. It was different there, of course: he gave the Catalan club the most memorable nights of their history; he led the Blaugrana to countless trophies; he inspired thrilling wins at home and in Europe; he produced wonderful football week in, week out; he transformed their fortunes on and off the pitch; and he scored an astonishing 672 goals.
Outside the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night, the mood seemed subdued. There were no flares, nor were there big crowds. “It’s like the atmosphere for a normal Ligue 1 game,” one fan commented. Perhaps that was because PSG had lost their previous two matches, and four already in 2023. Or because performances have been poor. It was probably a bit of both.
Inside the stadium, it was different. PSG’s ultras unfurled an impressive tifo ahead of kick-off. There was serious noise in the Parc and of the players in the home side’s starting line-up, Messi’s name drew the loudest cheer.
Overall, though, the view on Messi is mixed. In his second season, he has gone some way to winning over the fans after a difficult first year in which he was whistled by the club’s ultras following the Champions League exit to Real Madrid, but some think he has tailed off again since the World Cup. And a few fans I spoke to were critical. Local journalists too. “He just walks around.” “He doesn’t run back when we lose the ball.” “He’s too slow.” “At the World Cup, he cared. Now he doesn’t.” Those were a few common complaints. Unfortunately, all the focus seems to be on what he can’t do and not on what he can and does do. Which is a shame – because he still has much to offer.
There is certainly a debate to be had about Messi’s physical limitations at age 35 and whether his inclusion is too much of a luxury at the very highest level. That might sound strange. It is, after all, a criticism which has been aimed at many a creative player over the years. When asked whether Glenn Hoddle’s lack of defensive aptitude made him a ‘luxury’ at Tottenham in the early 1980s, the great Danny Blanchflower quipped: “Hoddle a luxury? It’s the bad players who are a luxury.” Indeed. But football was different back then. Now, in the age of intense pressing, extreme fitness and peak conditioning, teams with a player like Leo can be overrun in the Champions League.
That has happened at Barcelona many times in recent seasons. In Messi’s final years, Barça were brutally beaten by some of Europe’s top teams. Two of those defeats came against PSG. One was six years ago to the day before this match – a 4-0 loss at the Parc des Princes. The other came at Camp Nou – a 4-1 reverse in his last Champions League match in front of Barça’s fans. And the worst one of all was the extraordinary 8-2 defeat to Bayern in 2020. There were others, too: 4-0 in Liverpool, 3-0 at Roma, 3-0 at Juventus, and so on. It became fashionable back then to blame Messi (even though Barça got even worse after he left and dropped down to the Europa League twice in a row). It seems fashionable in France now.
In their player ratings, French sports daily L’Équipe awarded Messi three out of 10. “Did he give everything he had to meet the last challenge of his immense career, to win the World Cup with Argentina? We can ask the question,” they wrote.
That rating was unfair. Against Bayern, there were glimpses of Messi’s magic. Fleeting moments, granted. A touch here, a dribble there, some super passes to start attacks and recycle posssesion, slick skills and quality ball control to evade markers in tight spaces. It may not have been enough to have created anything meaningful on the night, but much of that was down to his team-mates losing the ball further forward. Or due to poor decision making. PSG’s performance was undoubtedly sub-par, but prior to Kylian Mbappé’s introduction, much of their finest football had emanated from Leo’s bright-orange boots.
Somehow, though, it is not appreciated. Not as it should be. Certainly, not as it was at Barcelona. But then, he had history there. He also had a better support network. Having come through the youth system at the famed La Masia academy, Messi’s style of play was aligned with Barça’s and that carried on into the first team. His understanding with midfielders Xavi and Andrés Iniesta was almost telepathic and formed the backbone of the greatest FCB team in history. Perhaps the greatest team in history. But even when those two were long gone, Messi linked up effectively with others, like Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal, later Frenkie de Jong and Pedri.
At PSG, there is little sign of that. Christophe Galtier’s side still looks like a collection of individuals and amid reports of player power and infighting getting out of control (Neymar furiously shouting at team-mates and clashing with football advisor Luis Campos in a heated row during the weekend defeat to Monaco was the latest instalment), it is perhaps no wonder. Whatever the reasons, much of their football just seems stagnant, stilted, sloppy. There are no real patterns of play, just moments.
Against Bayern, the best moments came after Kylian Mbappé was introduced. Back from injury sooner than expected, the French forward’s presence instantly lifted the crowd and put the visitors on the back foot. Twice he had the ball in the net. Both were offside.
After the match, I spoke to former Argentina World Cup winner Jorge Valdano, who was impressed with Mbappé’s cameo. And as usual, he summed up Messi’s frustrating night in one concise observation. “Messi needs Mbappé,” he said. “But Mbappé also needs Messi.”
It is true. Leo, who was also recovering from a recent hamstring injury which had left him doubtful for this match, is in the twilight of his career. The technique and the talent are intact, but for those qualities to bring tangible results, he requires his team-mates to make effective runs. That is precisely what Mbappé does.
Meanwhile, the French forward knows he can benefit from the Argentine’s ability to pick out passes from deep. They might not be best friends, but there is a mutual respect, an understanding that their connection can work for the good of the team.
Together, they hold the key to PSG’s hopes of advancing in Europe. Of overcoming Bayern in the second leg and perhaps going deep in the competition. But it is local lad Kylian, not Leo, who is the darling of these supporters – no doubt about that.
After the match, Neymar and Messi went over to the stadium’s Auteuil curve to ‘apologise’ for the team’s performance in a conciliatory gesture with the Paris Saint-Germain ultras. That will certainly have been appreciated, but the tensions remain just below the surface. Unlike with Barcelona and Argentina, there is no great love story yet between Messi and PSG. And even if he extends his current deal to stay for a third season at the Parc des Princes, there probably never will be.
There's no where Messivwill be loved and adored like Barcelona if there's a chance he should go back simply switch to the MLS.
For me, Messi has reached the Pinnacle of football success after the world cup win. He already had a happy ending. He such pursue happiness while choosing his next club, maybe, go back to Argentina and play for his favorite team.