How did Lionel Messi fare in Ligue 1, ahead of Inter Miami move?

Lionel Messi completed his shock move to the Parc des Princes and signed a two-year deal with PSG in the summer of 2021, when it became apparent that his former club Barcelona couldn’t afford to renew his contract. Two years on, the World Cup winner has officially completed a move to MLS club Inter Miami. Here’s a look at how the Argentine fared during his time in Ligue 1: 

Messi’s first season at PSG was something of a disappointment. After arriving at the Parc des Princes with other stars including Gianluigi Donnarumma and Sergio Ramos, all eyes were on the Ballon d’Or winner to see how we would fare playing in such a star-studded lineup. Most notably, people were intrigued to see how he would play with Kylian Mbappé and Neymar in the same forward line. 

In reality, Messi struggled to find any sort of consistency in goalscoring form and flattered to deceive compared to his usual standards. In the absence of his usual goal output, the former Barcelona forward found himself playing a deeper role and became PSG’s creator. In the 2021/22 season, Messi made 26 appearances, scoring 6 goals and assisting a further 15. His somewhat underwhelming contributions were still enough to help PSG regain the Ligue 1 title. 

Messi’s second season in the French capital was much more successful, having seemingly adapted to Ligue 1 and finding himself effective in the creation and scoring of goals. The Argentina captain’s spellbinding form returned at the right time too, as he led his nation to World Cup victory in Qatar. Domestically, Messi flourished into a new partnership with Mbappé as the pair terrorised Ligue 1 defences at times when they combined imperiously. The Argentine’s form in Ligue 1 was also enough to help PSG retain the Ligue 1 title for a second season as they pipped Lens by one point to become French champions for the second successive season. 

The former Barcelona forward achieved double-figure contributions for both goals and assists in Ligue 1. In 32 Ligue 1 appearances, Messi managed 32 goal contributions – 16 goals and 16 assists. Averaging a goal contribution a game, it is safe to say that his second season in Ligue 1 was more of a success. However, Messi was evidently brought in by Paris to help them win the Champions League, as is their perennial goal every season. In the end, though, they couldn’t achieve victory with two round-of-16 exits in Europe’s premier competition during his time at the Parc des Princes.

GFFN | Liam Wraith