Grading Messi's Tenure at Paris Saint-Germain
Messi has done a lot of good at PSG, but he also embodies a larger issue at the club.
By most accounts, Lionel Messi’s time as a Paris Saint-Germain will be coming to an end on June 30, 2023. That’s when his current contract expires and there’s been no indication he’ll sign up for additional years in the French capital.
What Messi brought to PSG
What started out as one of the most exciting PSG transfers since the club paid €222 million for Neymar Jr. in 2017, will now sort of fizzle out, and Messi will either follow his heart to FC Barcelona, take the money in Saudi Arabia, or become an ambassador in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami.
But, what a long strange trip it’s been. Messi arrived in Paris in August of 2021 due to Barcelona’s financial issues and La Liga’s strict financial fair-play regulations. In order to continue being paid and compete in the UEFA Champions League, Messi chose to join his good friend, Neymar, at PSG.
In his first season with Les Parisiens, Messi recorded 11 goals and 15 assists in all competitions, including five goals in the Champions League. This season, Messi has increased his output to 20 goals and 20 assists in all competitions, including four goals in the Champions League.
In addition to his output on the pitch, Messi has helped PSG commercially. According to El Economista, Messi’s arrival generated €700 million in his first 12 months. The additional revenue came by way of new sponsorship deals and jersey sales. In fact, according to Get French Football News, 60% of PSG jerseys sold have “Messi” printed on the back.
There’s no denying that Messi has brought a lot of good to PSG and if you look at his numbers on the pitch, you might be inclined to say the 35-year-old has been a roaring success and PSG should do everything in its power to sign him for an additional year if not longer.
The downside of Messi at PSG
However, the marketing revenue and social media followers don’t tell the whole story. In both seasons with Messi in the squad, PSG failed to advance past the Round of 16 of the Champions League. That’s not entirely on Messi, but he should have played a much larger role for the team in those two knockout stage ties against Real Madrid and FC Bayern Munich respectively.
Messi was largely pedestrian in PSG’s biggest matches and could be seen as somewhat of a liability with his lack of defensive work rate. Messi is great at what he does, but, what he doesn’t do—press and track back—exacerbated PSG’s issues in the midfield. PSG’s squad is grossly unbalanced and Messi at this stage of his career is a primary cause.
Then there’s the suspension issue this season that I have been very vocal about. After a loss to FC Lorient on April 30, 2023, Messi and his family jetted off to Saudi Arabia for obligations he has to promote tourism to the country. The only problem is PSG had a training session scheduled and Messi did not have permission to leave the country. The club suspended Messi for two weeks, but a few days later, the player released an apology video and the club eventually forgave him and reinstated him within the squad.
PSG may have been prepared to forgive Messi, but I wasn’t. His decision to skip training and not be with his teammates showed me that his heart was never with PSG. After a loss, someone who truly cares wouldn’t fly to Saudi Arabia to take photos. That loss would eat at them and they would be in training the next day to get better and to make their teammates better. Messi never wanted to be at PSG. He cried when he left Barcelona. He came to PSG to stay fit for the FIFA World Cup, which he won with Argentina in 2022, to collect a large salary, and to compete in the Champions League.
Final Grade
For those reasons, I have to give Messi a B- grade for his tenure at Paris Saint-Germain. Even at 35, Messi can score 20 goals and record 20 assists in a season, especially in a league that doesn’t have the same quality as La Liga. I’m not overly impressed with those numbers. In the Champions League this season, Messi recorded one assist total in four games against Juventus FC and Bayern Munich. To me, I see a lot of stat padding against the likes of Maccabi Haifa (2 goals, 2 assists), Toulouse (2 assists), Ajaccio (1 goal, 2 assists), etc.
Ultimately, what’s keeping him from getting an A from me, and why I’m happy he’s leaving at the end of the season, is that Messi embodies the wrong mentality this club should have when it comes to transfers. The club should not sign players in their mid-30s just because of their name and the marketing opportunities they bring. Messi had nothing to prove at PSG. He was already the greatest of all time to many. To put it simply, at PSG, Messi doesn’t hate to lose. It doesn’t eat at him like it would at Barcelona.
Moving forward, I hope PSG learns from this era of signing superstar players with the sporting project being only an afterthought.