Paris Saint-Germain featured Lionel Messi alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappé in the last two years. Despite the star trio, they failed to go beyond the Round of 16. However, with PSG’s recent advancement on Tuesday, ESPN took a swipe at Messi.
On Tuesday, PSG secured a spot in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals by beating Real Sociedad 4-1 on aggregate. This marks the first time since 2021 that the Parisian team has made it past the Round of 16.
ESPN posted a graphic on Twitter showcasing the accomplishments of the capital club before the Argentine’s arrival. The team reached the final in 2020 and made it to the semifinals in 2021. However, when the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner arrived, the team struggled in the knockout stage.
PSG in the Champions League before Lionel Messi signed:
2020: Final
2021: Semi-finalMessi joins:
2022: Eliminated in the round of 16
2023: Eliminated in the round of 16Messi leaves:
2024: Quarterfinals
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 6, 2024
While Messi does have some blame for the failures, such as missing the penalty kick against Real Madrid in 2022, that would’ve allowed PSG to have a 2-0 lead heading into the second leg, it’s not all his fault.
Several players, like Marquinhos and Gianluigi Donarumma, imploded in the matchup against Real Madrid. Nonetheless, should PSG advance to the semifinals, expect another dig at Messi.
Messi’s Time at PSG: why PSG did not qualify in Round 16 because Messi was not the boss at PSG at that time the club fully trusted Mbappe and gave power to him; because of that PSG lost the champion league.