Lionel Messi’s first season at the Parc des Princes certainly hasn’t gone as both the player and the club might have hoped. Despite compiling double-digit assists, the 34-year-old doesn’t seem to have brought along his scoring boots with him from Barcelona to the French capital.
Messi’s goal-scoring has paled by comparison with his previous other-worldly achievements. To exacerbate things, his inability to score against Real Madrid leading to the elimination of PSG from the UEFA Champions League even led many supporters to whistle at and jeer the former FC Barcelona star in the following Ligue 1 match everytime he had the ball at his feet.
Ronaldinho addressed the issue in an interview with RMC Sport and spoke about how adaptation is the main issue accounting for Messi’s struggles this season with the capital club as the Argentine never had to adapt to another league or club in his career until last summer, having played only with Barcelona his entire career prior to joining the Parisian club.
“Yes, that’s exactly it. We who have played football know what happens in football. You have to give time; things will come naturally,” Ronaldinho said.
“Me, when I arrived in Paris, it was difficult. Changing the way he plays… Messi stayed 20 years in Barcelona; this is the first time he has changed football. It’s normal; it takes time to adapt.”
Ronaldinho also commended Messi’s efforts to confront the challenge of making a major switch to another club in another league as fans are generally not known to take into consideration the challenges such sudden shifts could bring and disregard players’ emotions after switching to another league and club.
“Everything changes, communication, the way of playing football. And that’s just time that can give it to you,” Ronaldinho added.
Messi still has one more year left on his contract with an option for another year, and it’s looking most likely the 34-year-old will remain at the Parc des Princes despite all kinds of insipid rumors saying otherwise.