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People are still coming to terms with Lionel Messi's surprise departure from Barcelona and subsequent move to PSG. The Argentine was forced to leave the club he spent over two decades at after La Liga prohibited the Blaugrana from being able to sign him as a free agent earlier this month.
Lionel Messi is now gearing up to make his debut for his new club. The forward is in line to make his first appearance in a PSG shirt against Brest next week and expectations are high for the Argentine to hit the ground running at his new club.
However, things may not go as smoothly as planned for Lionel Messi at PSG and the Argentine superstar could find it hard to reach the levels that are expected of him at his new club. So, without further ado, here are
5 reasons why Lionel Messi will struggle at PSG
#5 New city and new team
One of the downfalls of Lionel Messi's loyalty to Barcelona is that moving away from his boyhood club has taken him out of his comfort zone. The Argentine spent almost two decades at the Catalan club and was loved by the whole city.
At PSG, however, Lionel Messi will have to familiarize himself with a new city and a new team. While at Barcelona, Messi played alongside the likes of Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba for many years and built a strong relationship both on and off the field with his teammates.
Barring a few exceptions, Lionel Messi now has to start from scratch to establish a connection with his new team-mates at PSG. This could be a huge problem for the Argentine superstar, who is known to be rather reserved and introverted off the pitch. Messi could end up being alienated from the team which could drastically affect his performances on the pitch.
#4 New system
At Barcelona, Lionel Messi has always been the number one player, with every coach tailoring their gameplan around the Argentinian. The forward had always been the undisputed star not only because of his undeniable ability, but also because of his value to the club and city as a whole.
However, at PSG, Messi is now part of a team with a plethora of superstars and there will be no sentiment involved when it comes to the Argentine. Mauricio Pochettino could very well intend to focus his plans around Neymar or Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi will have no choice but to take a backseat if that does happen.
Lionel Messi has never been in this position before and no one knows how this will affect his performance and mentality for PSG heading into the 2021-22 campaign.
#3 Ego clashes
News broke earlier this week that PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe is not ready to share the spotlight with Lionel Messi. The striker has turned himself into PSG's main man over the past few years and is only going to get better from here.
Lionel Messi's arrival could hinder the Frenchman's ascendancy at PSG and Mbappe is not keen on giving up his spot to the Argentinian superstar. The striker is now reportedly ready to depart PSG and is keen to join Real Madrid next summer.
This situation could lead to more problems arising during the 2021-22 season, and that could affect the duo's (as well as the team's) performances down the line.
#4 Lionel Messi is reaching the twilight of his career
Good things must come to an end and that will soon be the case for Lionel Messi. The Argentine is now 34-years-old and is reaching the stage where his performances are very likely to start declining.
Questions need to be asked about how much longer Lionel Messi can play at a high level and moving to PSG could be the start of his decline. The Argentine superstar cannot be expected to play at the level he used to at Barcelona, and with his age, a major injury could be the beginning of the end.
It would be unwise to doubt the quality of Lionel Messi, but it will be difficult for the Argentine to put in high-level performances every week for PSG.
#1 Lionel Messi wanted to stay at Barcelona
It is now public knowledge that Lionel Messi had no intention of leaving Barcelona this summer and wanted to extend his stay at the club. Messi had spent over two decades with the Blaugrana and was even willing to take a 50 per cent pay-cut in order for the club to be able to afford to bring him back.
However, with La Liga prohibiting the deal, Messi has had to reluctantly leave his boyhood club to sign for PSG. One must be questioning his mentality going into the 2021-22 season. Lionel Messi has always been very professional with how he dealt with this situation, but now that his is heart not in it, the Argentine's performance could very well dip during the 2021-22 season.
PSG fans cannot expect the Argentine to play with the same passion and drive that he did at Barcelona, and this could lead him to struggle during his stint in the French capital.
