PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has claimed that Lionel Messi’s true value at the club would be seen from next season as he is now fully settled in Paris.
PSG signed Lionel Messi in a shocking move from Barcelona last season but the world’s best player failed to do what he knows how to do best, score a lot of goals and provide a lot of assists.
However, Nasser Al-Khelaifi had admitted that the “best version” of the Argentinian hitman will be enjoyed by the Ligue 1 champions in the 2022/23 season.
Many people celebrated the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner’s arrival in the French city in the summer of 2021, but the all-time great found it hard to replicate the brilliance of his legendary era at Barcelona in a new setting.
PSG president, Al-Khelaifi is confident he can rekindle his spark and take his game to even higher heights in a World Cup year, despite the fact that he is approaching the age of 35 and only has 12 months left on his PSG contract.
While speaking during an interview with Le Parisien, the PSG president said: “There is no doubt that Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or a record seven times, and it was not his best season. But after more than 20 years in Barcelona, he discovered a new country, a new city, a new league, a new team. A new culture. As well as his family, and he was injured also by the coronavirus. It was not easy for Messi last season, but next season we will see the best version of Messi ever.”
Lionel Messi’s 2021/22 Stats
The 7 times Ballon d’Or winner had a difficult time in Paris Saint-Germain after his 20 years with Barcelona came to a sudden end. Lionel Messi played a lot of games but couldn’t find the back of the net until the UEFA Champions League game with Manchester City in September where he scored his first goal for the Ligue 1 champions.
He still waited till November to register his first goal for Paris Saint-Germain in the Ligue 1 and finished the 2021/22 season with just 6 goals in the French top-flight.
He added five more in the European competition, but he was unable to help PSG past the round of 16, as his hopes of reaching the UEFA Champions League final were destroyed by old rivals Real Madrid. Messi managed to provide 14 assists in the domestic league, and his contributions helped him earn yet another prestigious title in his career.
