How will Lionel Messi be remembered at PSG?

Success or flop? 

It says a lot about the manner in which Paris Saint-Germain’s season has fallen apart that the biggest news stories coming out of the French capital these days seem to revolve around the possibility of their biggest stars leaving in the summer. And that’s perhaps most evident in the case of Lionel Messi, who now seems destined to depart French football for greener pastures in Europe or perhaps even further afield. In fact, PSG head coach Christophe Galtier confirmed on Thursday that Messi will be leaving the club this summer. “I had the privilege of coaching the best player in the history of football,” Galtier said at a press conference on Thursday. “It will be Leo’s last match at the Parc des Princes against Clermont.”

The Argentina international has always driven a remarkable amount of speculation, but it now seems as though the transfer rumours have hit fever pitch and that PSG fans may soon know where the 35-year-old talent will be playing his football next season. And if the reports are anything to go by, it would seem that Messi has a number of options available to him in the summer window. With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, Messi has been heavily linked with moves to the United States, the Middle East and, rather dramatically, a return to Barcelona. 

According to ESPN, the Argentine star is considering a move to Saudi Arabia, where he has reportedly been offered a remarkable offer by Al Hilal, the city rivals of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. However, the Athletic have also stated in a recent report that a deal between MLS side Inter Miami and the forward was “all but done”, suggesting a move to the United States was now more favourable. And, of course, Barcelona continue to make a very public effort to entice Messi back to the club. 

However, while Messi will likely take great delight in beginning a new chapter in his career, the Rosario-born talent is still very much a PSG player and before he does depart French football it may be worth taking a closer look at just how well Messi did in Paris and what kind of a legacy he’d leave behind in Ligue 1.

How good has Lionel Messi been at PSG? 

So just how good has Messi been at PSG, since he made a dramatic move to the club in 2021. “In terms of his personal stats, Messi has enjoyed two good seasons with PSG, especially the current one which has already seen him score 20 goals and 19 assists overall,” said Ronan Caroff, France Area Manager for Transfermarkt. “But Messi didn’t join PSG for nice stats, he was supposed to help bring the club to a long awaited Champions League title and in his two seasons in the capital the team didn’t make it past the Round of 16. Sadly, people will remember this failure on the main scene rather than his stats and domestic titles in France.”

Indeed, while Messi’s record in the French top-flight stands at an impressive 22 goals and 31 assists in 57 games for PSG, his record in European competitions for the French giants points to some notable issues. Despite bagging a remarkable nine goals and four assists in 14 games, Messi notably failed to score or assist when Real Madrid knocked the club out of the competition in the 2021/22 season and was similarly helpless to stop Bayern Munich knocking PSG out of this season’s competition. If Messi had been signed to be the difference maker in such ties, he simply hasn’t lived up to the billing. 

How will Lionel Messi be remembered at PSG?

Such misfortunes in Europe have led to Messi getting booed by PSG fans over the course of his time at the club – the first instance came last season, following the Madrid defeat and then twice again this season following the defeats to Bayern. And should the Argentine star depart the club this summer, it’s hard to see whether fans of the Ligue 1 club will look back on Messi’s time at the club with rose-tinted glasses. 

“The relationship between PSG fans and Messi is difficult,” notes Caroff. “It’s been a long time since he has gone to meet the ultras at the end of games like almost all his teammates do. As PSG fans can be really passionate, this type of cold relation isn’t a good sign of what they currently think of Messi.” So does that mean that Messi’s time at the club will be deemed a failure when the history books are written about his time in the French capital? 

“In the scenario where he leaves soon, I think that with some time most fans will still cherish the fact they got to have Lionel Messi in their team for two seasons,” adds Caroff, before offering an important counterpoint. “But such a world renowned star should have taken PSG to a higher level, and these two seasons haven’t felt like a progression at all for the club. So they have the happiness of having an all-time great in their team, but the bitterness that it didn’t impact the club more in their results.”

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