Former Player Praises Lionel Messi For Adapting To New Role At PSG

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News Former Player Praises Lionel Messi for Adapting to New Role at PSG By Eduardo Razo - 17 September 2022, 9:57

Paris Saint-Germain has seen the revival of Lionel Messi this 2022-23 football season after a challenging first year in the French capital. The 35-year-old is scoring more often while also filling the playmaker role.

On Wednesday, the 35-year-old scored in PSG’s UEFA Champions League matchup against Maccabi Haifa while also assisting on the Kylian Mbappé goal that gave the capital club the lead.

After another excellent performance from Messi, former PSG midfielder Ludovic Giuly spoke with French publication Le Parisien and discussed why the Argentine looks more comfortable this year despite the coaching change and exit of friends like Ángel Di María and Leandro Paredes.

“I always knew it would be complicated for him last season,” Giuly said. “When you were the king of the world in a club, and you arrive overnight in a new country and in another championship, it is never easy, even if you are the best player in the world.

“It takes time to absorb the change, and we saw that his first year was complicated. But I was convinced that his second season would be good because the great players always question themselves; that’s what he did.”

Furthermore, Giuly praised Messi for adapting to the circumstances at PSG, where they don’t necessarily need him to be the goal scorer, but more the playmaker as he has Mbappé and Neymar to put the ball in the back of the net.

“Certainly, it is no longer the same, but the quality is still present. There remains ‘Leo’, the one who can change a match. His intelligence today is to be able to be decisive otherwise,” Giuly added.

“As he is a little less on the finish, he is now on the last pass. He shows everyone that you can still evolve and change the way you play, even at 35. He is a good example for all players, young and old.”

Messi isn’t discussing his future until after the FIFA World Cup, but it will be interesting to see if the Argentine is open to remaining in the French capital.