Admittedly, Messi made history again in 2021, becoming the first footballer in history to win a seven-time Ballon d'Or. But what caught the eye on the Argentine star last year was not the one that came to the fore, but his departure from barca, where he had played for many years. After the expiration of his contract with the club, Messi, who became a free agent, immediately signed a contract with Paris grand to go to Ligue 1, causing a global sensation. Both he and Barcelona have started a whole new phase. In the half season after the transfer, the situation of both sides is difficult to describe. However, to evaluate it completely, 2022 is the most critical year.
Judging from this period of time, after the two sides broke up, the most affected party was definitely Barcelona. Although the club itself is heavily indebted, it is not without the ability to sign good players. But the most crucial thing is that no player in football can replace Messi's role. On the player side, whether it is Depay or De Jong, the performance is very average. As for Fati, who is looking forward to a lot, after returning from injury, he did not reach his previous state. The management thought it was the manager's problem, so they quickly fired Koeman and let the meritorious player Harvey take office as the new head coach.
But even the three fires of the new official did not make Barca look new, and there was still a problem of offensive constipation. In fact, everyone knows that whether it is a change of tactics, players or head coach, there is no way to make up for the gap after Messi left. The Argentine was able to save the club last season with his individual ability, something that all barca players can't do right now. Of course, Messi's departure from Barca does not mean complete liberation. After the official announcement of the arrival of the players, not only the Paris fans, but most people believe that the arrival of the world's top star is bound to enhance the strength of the team and help them go further on the road to the Champions League.
Paris has also explicitly listed argentines at the heart of the team through various means, such as the highest salary in the team and holding press conferences that have attracted much attention around the world. For a time, the player's original plight at Barca was in stark contrast to the full welcome in Paris. But what I didn't expect was that the happiness that Messi brought to Paris was limited to before playing for the team. In the first season after joining Paris, the players repeatedly missed many games due to various physical problems, such as the recent epidemic. So far, he has only played 16 games for the team. Players have also performed fairly well in a few matches.
In terms of goal assist stats alone, only 6 goals were scored, 4 assists were awarded, and it took an average of 219 minutes to score a goal. In contrast, Kylian Kylian Mbappe, who has been in hot form this season, only needs half the time to score goals. So who is the real core of Paris, it is a more awkward question. The player's problem is not only reflected in the game field, outside the stadium, the delicate relationship between him and the head coach Pochettino has also caused a lot of heated discussion, and even french football celebrities directly criticized Messi for not respecting the manager. There is no way that when a team does not perform well and the players are in poor form, any problem will be infinitely magnified.
However, this season is far from over, and both Barca and Messi still have time to redeem themselves. For Barca, if they can stabilize the top four positions in the league and win the Europa League, I believe many Barça fans can accept it. After all, the team is in the throes of renewal, which also shows that there is no problem in the direction the team is currently going. As for Messi, the next biggest test is naturally the Champions League knockout match against Real Madrid. If he can lead the team to the next stage, the doubts of the past will be swept away, and he will be the best footballer today.