The seven-time Ballon d’Or has consigned the struggles of his debut year at the Parc des Princes to the past, rediscovering his Barcelona form to produce whatever the opposite to second-season syndrome is called.
Not only has Messi regained his goalscoring touch, he has reasserted his status as one of the world’s best playmakers by constantly providing ammunition for Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Messi turns on the style vs Ajaccio
And the brilliance of Messi’s 2022/23 campaign was perfectly illustrated by his performance at the Estadio François-Coty as he played a part in every PSG goal in a 3-0 win.
Messi got the party started early in the first half when his simple yet perfectly weighted through ball found its way to Mbappe, who made no mistake in meeting the keeper.
And PSG’s third goal of the night – which came in the final 10 minutes – was very similar as Messi took his Ligue 1 tally to nine assists this season as he teed up Mbappe again.
Messi scores gorgeous team goal for PSG
However, there’s no denying that the highlight of the evening was when the 35-year-old found the back of the net himself to cap off a fantastic team goal with icy composure.
Messi was involved in the build-up of play from the outset, playing a one-two, then another one-two, before pouncing on the Ajaccio keeper with a clear chance to score.
But instead of rushing things and shooting immediately, as so many players in his situation would, Messi played football in slow motion to get around the goalkeeper at his own nonchalant pace.
It truly was a gorgeous goal to behold, so do yourself a favour and check it out down below:
Video: Messi shows superb composure to score for PSG
THE BUILDUP TO MESSI’S GOAL, WOW pic.twitter.com/gvi42CrGdV
— J. (@Messilizer) October 21, 2022
Man, he made it look as though he had all the time in the world.
Messi could inspire PSG to big things
Say what you like about the wider GOAT debate and all the comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo, but you’ve got to admit that football is a richer place for having Messi playing so well again.
The Argentina icon simply didn’t look himself last season as he adapted to a new club and league for the very first time in his professional career, sinking to a tally of just six strikes in the French top-flight.
But now, the man himself is purring, seldom going a single game without at least one goal or one assist.
And it makes for a very promising omen for PSG under Christophe Galtier as the club looks to hunt down its first Champions League title and move away from ‘merely’ hoovering up domestic titles.
With Messi playing like this, they’ve always got a chance.
