Former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Mathieu Bodmer has labeled Lionel Messi’s debut season at the Ligue 1 giants a failure.

After spending over 20 years at Barcelona, Messi joined PSG on a two-year deal until June 2023 with an option for an extra year.

And he has so far scored 11 goals, provided 13 assists in 33 games in all competitions in his debut campaign in France.

Six goals in 25 league appearances, 13 assists in the league and five goals in seven Champions League fixtures.

He trended on social media on Sunday after netting a brace in PSG’s 4-0 win at Montpellier in Saturday’s Ligue 1 fixture.

But commenting on Messi’s performance for the Paris club, Bodmer described it as a failure.
“Sportingly, yes, it is a failure. [Messi] has interesting statistics for an ordinary player. I would have liked to have such statistics. But here, we are talking about Lionel Messi. We have known him with 50-goal seasons, doing incredible things while carrying his team,” Bodmer said on RMC Sport (via Paris Fans).

“Today, he is almost 35 years old; we will never see the same Lionel Messi again. We know that PSG attaches great importance to marketing, and, there, his arrival is not at all a failure. The leaders are very happy with this part, as at the time with the arrival of David Beckham. With Lionel Messi, PSG has taken a new step in terms of image.”

Messi has another year on his contract and will likely remain with the club for the 2022-23 season.

He helped Mauricio Pochettino’s side reclaim the French topflight for this season.

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