How many goals has Lionel Messi scored for Paris Saint-Germain during his first season at the French club? Messi arrived with a lot of fanfare and a lot of expectations to Ligue 1, but it was a rocky first season. It is important to note that the former Barcelona player arrived to PSG after not being able to resign with Barcelona due to the club being over the salary limits and the clubs financial constraints.
The UEFA Champions League slipped through PSG’s fingers and the 35-year-old Argentine was singled out by the PSG fans along with Neymar for the team’s shortcomings. Here we will review Messi’s season, and all his goals and assists for the French team.
Lionel Messi played a total of 34 games across all competitions and scored 11 goals for Paris Saint Germain in his first season at the club. Messi’s best body of work was in the UEFA Champions League, but struggled to find the net in Ligue 1. In total the Argentine was only able to score 4 league goals all season, World Cup winner Kylian Mbappé was forced to take up the scoring slack of Messi and Neymar and netted 28 times during the season in Ligue 1.
In Ligue 1, Messi scored 6 goals and had 15 assists during the course of the season, his six goals were scored against:
It took a bit for Messi to get started but he played better during the final two months of the season. At Barcelona he scored his first senior goal against Albacete on May 1st.
It was in Europe’s highest club competition that Lionel Messi most excelled at PSG. Messi scored 5 goals in 7 matches during the Champions League this season.
After the group stage Messi’s PSG would be knocked out by Real Madrid in the round of 16 of the competition, a major disappointment for the French club.
It was a rather disappointing season for the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner. Upon arriving in France, he missed the first two games of the season due to a lack of a proper preseason and made his debut in Ligue 1 against Stade Reims playing 24 minutes off the bench.
Messi missed 7 of PSG’s first 14 games during the season due to injuries, Argentina call ups, and coronavirus infection. Although Messi was not contributing with goals in the league he did have 15 assists and had three assists against St-Étienne.
Messi would have another three assist games late in the season against Clermont Foot, and PSG would go on to win the French League. Meanwhile, in the UEFA Champions League, Messi was one of the club’s best players in the group stage.
In his first season at Barcelona, Messi was only able to score 1 goal in 9 matches across all competitions. Clearly it was a different time: Messi was only a kid when he debuted at Barcelona, and Messi arrived at Paris Saint-Germain as a bonafide superstar.
How did Lionel Messi’s season compare to that of Cristiano Ronaldo’s? Find out by reading more below!
For Lionel Messi it was a rather subpar first season with his new club, especially considering he entered with a lot of momentum—having won the Copa America with Argentina and having scored 38 goals with Barcelona the previous season. At Paris Saint Germain, Messi was teamed with Neymar, Angel Di Maria, and Kylian Mbappé. Messi and Neymar may have lacked goals this season but they did turn providers for Mbappé who turned out to be the biggest scoring threat on the team.
Even though Messi was the brunt of criticism from the PSG fans, the Argentine was still able to win his seventh Ballon d'Or and score some clutch goals for the team in the Champions League. His two-goal performance against RB Leipzig was one of his best games of the season.
Still, after being eliminated by Real Madrid things turned for the worse for Messi at PSG—he and Neymar were resoundingly booed at the Parc des Princes, and fans questioned his commitment and drive. Even manager Mauricio Pochettino had to speak up for Messi stating: "To judge Messi in this way is unfair… It was a year of learning, and not just on a professional level coming to Paris Saint-Germain, in a new league and with new teammates, but also on a family level."
Nonetheless, the parisian team would win their 10th Ligue 1 title in a 1-1 draw against Lens and it would be Messi’s 39th championship. Messi would finish the season winning his 40th title with Argentina as the albiceleste would win the Finalissima against Italy at Wembley, and scoring 5 goals in a friendly against Estonia. Now Messi looks to try and build off his national team form to win major titles at PSG for the next season.
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