Lionel Messi fans must surely have missed a heartbeat or two to see their idol the sharpest he has been this season last weekend with the Argentine delivering his most complete Ligue 1 performance to date in PSG’s win over Saint-Etienne.
The Argentine’s famed dancing feet seemed to have found their mesmerising rhythm on the pitch and the legendary striker looked to be coming back to his best form when he set confidently up both assists for his strike-mate and French prodigy Kylian Mbappé, and PSG’s second, goal.
“It’s easy to play with him,” Mbappé said, beaming after the match. “He’s a top player. I’ve always wanted to play with guys like him, as every top player does! We’re having great fun on the pitch and I’m really enjoying learning from him!”
Looking decisively more inspired, fluid and with mobility on the pitch again against Saint-Etienne, there were only two players who saw more of the ball than the former Barcelona talisman, which was a most refreshing change from the lynchpin’s early weeks in France. The wily wizard completed 100% of his passes in the final third as he helped PSG break through the opposition’s defenses.
“I’m happy with his contribution,” said a glowing PSG boss and compatriot Mauricio Pochettino.
“His performances are getting better. If the team plays well, it’s also thanks to his vision of the game, his ability to beat any man on the pitch and especially his influence on our style of play!”
The diminutive 34-year-old is now perched atop the assists charts in Ligue 1, having set up ten goals since late November with no player in Europe so far able to match six assiststhat Messi has amassed in his last five league outings in 2022.
Messi had struggled initially in the first few months in Ligue 1 to create space against France’s well-drilled defences as he had much to adapt to being in a new environment where the game is played differently. Fortunately for him, and PSG,the Argentine dynamo has finally adapted his game. Despite the pace not being as destructive as it used to be, the 34-year-old’s vision and football nous remain outstanding, which augur well for him playing in a deeper role and creating ample opportunities for his other attacking colleagues like Mbappe and Neymar.
“I’m happy for him because we know he has had to adapt to a new life, a new town and a new club,” said Mbappé. “Even when you’ve won seven Ballons d’Or you still have to adapt. That’s just life! He’s getting better and better, he’s happy and, as I’ve been saying for a while, be it in the past or now, if we have Messi playing well, it can only be good for us.”
It may still feel a tad unsettling to see Messi having only scored twice in Ligue 1 this season, however there’s fresh hope now among his legions of fans that there’s more to come.
Personal goalscoring prowess set aside for the moment, his influence on the game and his reading of it appear seem clearly to be returning to the levels that elevated the Argentine to be regarded as one of the greatest in the history of contemporary football.
“Leo Messi is the best player in the world!” declared Pochettino. “A player like him, with his experience… what he represents. He simply is football!”