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Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) travel to face Clermont Foot in their opening game of the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season on Saturday, August 6.
Messi had one of his best performances in a PSG shirt against when they faced Clermont last time around during the 2021-22 season. The Parisian giants secured a 6-1 win over their opposition with both Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappe netting hat-tricks.
Lionel Messi also had a huge role to play in the convincing victory. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner provided a hat-trick of assists in what was a complete playmaking performance.
The highlights from the game can be viewed below:
Lionel Messi assisted in the first goal of the game after a clever pass to find Neymar with acres of space in the box. The Brazilian forward then fired the ball into the far corner to open the scoring for PSG.
Messi's second assist of the game was one of his best. The 35-year-old controlled the ball well with his chest before lobbing it for Mbappe, who chipped the ball into the back of the net.
The Argentine's third assist was much simpler in comparison to his other two. He laid out a simple pass to Mbappe in the box and the Frenchman sent a curler past the goalkeeper to complete his hat-trick.
It is worth mentioning that this was the second time that Messi has completed a hat-trick of assists in the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season. He accomplished the same feat against AS Saint-Etienne in a 3-1 win for PSG back in November 2021.
Lionel Messi's first season at PSG was underwhelming to say the least
Lionel Messi's first season as a PSG player was disappointing compared to his lofty standards. The forward took time to get used to his new surroundings in France and therefore had an underwhelming campaign.
The FC Barcelona legend only managed to score 11 goals for his new club across all competitions, out of which just six were scored in the league. Messi, however, did provide 14 assists in Ligue 1.
There is optimism ahead of the new season, though, as the Argentine has had a productive pre-season. Messi scored twice during the Parisian giants' pre-season tour of Japan and netted a goal against FC Nantes in the Trophee des Champions on July 31 as well.
It is safe to say that he is ready for the 2022-23 season.
