BINH DUONG
The match against Clermont could be Lionel Messi's last time wearing a PSG shirt, ending two years of mixed joy and sadness with the French capital team.
Messi (center) facing the Strasbourg defense last month. Photo: CNN
The end of Messi’s two-year journey with PSG has been filled with sadness for all sides, from the player, the club to the fans. Last month’s controversial visit to Saudi Arabia put an end to Messi’s future at PSG, amid debate over whether he would extend his contract for another year. Messi’s refusal to renew and PSG’s willingness to part ways with one of the world’s best players shows that the Messi “project” in Paris has failed.
When Messi first appeared at Le Bourget airport in August 2021, few predicted such a regrettable ending. PSG has benefited not only from Messi’s talent on the pitch but also from what he brings off the pitch: marketing, business and charisma. PSG’s social media following has skyrocketed. PSG’s Twitter account gained 800,000 followers in the month after the club signed Messi and now has 5 million more followers than in July 2021, when the Argentine star had not yet arrived. Meanwhile, the club’s TikTok account now has 40 million followers, not to mention Messi’s 466 million Instagram followers. “Off the pitch, we are growing everywhere,” PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said this year.
In return, PSG created the ideal environment for Messi to prepare for the 2022 World Cup. In fact, he eventually made history and completed the greatest chapter of his career by winning the World Cup with the Argentina team.
Messi's first season at PSG was full of challenges both on and off the pitch, including adapting to a new coach, new teammates and a new environment. This is understandable because Messi only played for Barcelona for 20 years until joining PSG at the age of 33.
Scoring 16 goals and 16 assists in 31 Ligue 1 matches this season is not the best achievement of Messi's career, but it is enough to help PSG successfully defend the championship title. Messi also built a good relationship with Kylian Mbappe, who scored 11 goals thanks to M10's "assists". But at a club full of domestic titles like PSG, success is only measured by what the team shows in the Champions League arena. In both seasons with Messi's service, PSG were eliminated in the round of 16. However, the failure cannot be attributed to Messi, but also because PSG this season built a poor quality squad. Due to ineffective recruitment last summer, the team of Qatari owners has exposed many shortcomings in defense, lacking a real "number 9" in attack. As the Champions League entered its decisive phase in February and March, an injury storm hit PSG and they were knocked out of the round of 16 by Bayern Munich.
Messi's departure will certainly leave a huge void for PSG in terms of creativity. Finding a worthy replacement for the star who has been involved in 41 goals in 40 games in all competitions this season will not be easy for PSG.
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