Messi feels good after tough first year at PSG
Amidst speculation that Lionel Messi could leave PSG after this year, he says that he “feels good” after his rough start in Paris.
Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi has had an impressive last year. After winning the World Cup with Argentina in December, he’s back with PSG and has already been involved in 25 goals this season. That’s quite the change from his debut season with the team, in which he only scored six times and had 14 assists (for Messi at least, that’s not much). It was never a secret that Messi had a hard time adjusting to life in Paris after spending 20 years with Barcelona. Now, Messi says he’s feeling good and enjoying his time with the club.
“In my first year, I had a hard time adapting to Paris for various reasons, but this season, I started it differently,” said Messi. “With a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of desire, and I’m more comfortable with the club, the city, and everything that defines Paris.”
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“It was my turn to come to a new club with the goal of being able to win the title with Paris, to be able to achieve the objectives that we set at the beginning of the season.”
Messi believes PSG can beat Bayern
The next challenge ahead for Messi and PSG is to knock off Bayern Munich in the Champions League. They will have to come back from a 1-0 deficit in the first leg of their Last 16 match with Bayern. And they will have to do it without Neymar, who was ruled out for the next three to four months.
“I think in the last game against Marseille, the team improved after that victory and we are doing well,” said Messi. “We will do everything we can to try to turn the situation around against Bayern and get through the round, which is everyone’s goal.”
Messi acknowledged that playing at Allianz Arena is tough, but he believes PSG is fully capable of getting the victory in Munich. Even without Neymar, Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and the rest of the team have what it takes to pull off a win.
The second leg takes place on Wednesday night. PSG are coming off of a three-game winning streak in Ligue 1.
“That’s everyone’s goal. It’s important to go into the game in this frame of mind,” Messi said. “We’re going to Munich, where it’s going to be a very tough match, just like the first one. Everything will be decided by small details, especially as it is very difficult to win in this stadium. But I think that if we do things right, we are capable of turning things around. We want to continue our journey in the Champions League. And that’s what we will try to do.”
What’s next for Messi after PSG contract ends?
That’s the big question. Messi’s contract expires at the end of this season, and there has been speculation that he may not be leaning towards resigning with the club after all. Recent reports are that Messi could either join the MLS with Inter Miami or go back to Barcelona.
Now that he’s spoken up about how happy and comfortable he is in Paris though, perhaps these are all just rumors and nothing more. Messi seems determined to help PSG win titles and continue playing alongside his talented teammates.
“The truth is that I am really enjoying this season. I think my whole life has been like that. About dedication, work, effort and wanting more every day,” Messi said. “Kylian scored three incredible goals, in a final. And now it’s true that it’s nice to be able to play in the same team with him, and I hope we can do great things here in Paris.”