Lionel Messi is picking his moments on the pitch now, as he is not the leader at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), as per Guillem Balagué.
The pundit claims the Argentine is not having as much influence on the pitch as he did during his time at Barcelona.
Messi has made a good start to the current season after a sub-par one by his standards last time around. He scored just six times in the league in his debut season with PSG and has vowed to do better.
Guillem Balagué was speaking with CBS Sports Golazo when he spoke about the difference between Messi at Barcelona and PSG.
He said:
“He’s not the same player. And one thing is very clear, he’s not the captain, he’s not the leader. So he has a lesser influence in the side that is from a psychological and leadership point of view, which means that he how can I put it? Switches off a lot.”
He continued:
“And for him, the thing is when he switches on to actually make an impact, and he has done that, the past will pay for the second goal. Oh my God. So you put the highlights of Messi and you say Messi looks great, you put the 90 minutes and you think he’s choosing his moments.”
Lionel Messi praised for improving at PSG
Former PSG striker Fabrice Pancrate spoke about Lionel Messi earlier this week and was full of praise for the Argentine.
He claimed that the former Barcelona star has finally adapted well and told Le Parisien (h/t Paris Fans):
“I wouldn’t say we found Messi because in fact, we hadn’t lost him. He was in a phase of adaptation after twenty years in the same club. It was just a matter of time, patience, click.”
He added:
“So, for me, what he’s doing today is Messi; it’s only natural. Sure, he doesn’t score too much, but when you see the impact he has on the game, his vision, the unlikely passes he finds.”
Pancrate went on to say:
“What a pleasure to see him play in real life. As soon as he has the ball, it’s a treat. It has no waste. He, the ball is his friend. It’s incredible. Even I, who love football, used to say to my friends: ‘Yes, I admit, I would pay to see him play.'”
Lionel Messi scored in the win over Maccabi Haifa and is now getting ready to face Lyon in the league.