Paris Saint-Germain are now witnessing the revival of Lionel Messi this 2022-23 football season after a challenging first year in the French capital saw a veil of criticism draped around the GOAT. The 35-year-old Argentine wizard is now again livening up the act on the scoring front while also adapting brilliantly into the playmaker extraordinaire role.
On Wednesday, the 35-year-old diminutive wizard proved he had not lost his scoring touch when he netted in PSG’s UEFA Champions League match-up against Maccabi Haifa to level the odds for his side, while also subsequently assisting on the Kylian Mbappé goal that gave the capital club the lead.
After another undeniably excellent performance from Messi, former PSG midfielder Ludovic Giuly spoke with French publication Le Parisien and discussed why the Argentine looks decidedly more comfortable this year despite the coaching change and exit of friends like Ángel Di María and Leandro Paredes.
“I always knew it would be complicated for him last season,” Giuly said.
“When you were the king of the world in a club, and you arrive overnight in a new country and in another championship, it is never easy, even if you are the best player in the world.
“It takes time to absorb the change, and we saw that his first year was complicated. But I was convinced that his second season would be good because the great players always question themselves; that’s what he did.”
Furthermore, Giuly also praised Messi for adapting well to the circumstances at PSG, where he is not necessarily needed as the primary goalscorer, but more the playmaker, as he has Mbappé and Neymar to assist him to put the ball in the back of the net.
“Certainly, it is no longer the same, but the quality is still present. There remains ‘Leo’, the one who can change a match. His intelligence today is to be able to be decisive otherwise,” Giuly added.
“As he is a little less on the finish, he is now on the last pass. He shows everyone that you can still evolve and change the way you play, even at 35. He is a good example for all players, young and old.”
Messi has been coy in discussing his future until after the FIFA World Cup, but it will be interesting to see if the Argentine is open to remaining in the French capital.