Lionel Messi is back. The Argentine has been heavily criticised this season for his form at Paris Saint-Germain even though his numbers have been far from poor, although admittedly they’ve not been to the extraterrestrial level that we’ve been accustomed to seeing from him. But he’s beginning to hit a rich vein of form and getting back to his best.
No other player from across Europe’s top five leagues has assisted more goals than the 34-year-old so far in 2022 and he provided two more on Sunday evening when PSG beat Saint-Etienne 3-1 in Ligue 1. One of them was sensational; the former Barcelona man picked the ball up on the right side before dropping his shoulder, cutting inside and threading a delicious through ball to Kylian Mbappe, who finished coolly.
That’s a combination that will terrify Real Madrid ahead of the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on March ninth. PSG go to the Santiago Bernabeu with a slight advantage after their 1-0 win in the first leg at the Parc des Princes last month. Given how good Mbappe was on that evening, coupled with the fact Messi looks in the mood again, you’d have to back the visitors as things stand.
Leo Messi 👀 + @KMbappe ⚡️ = ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/sS5YByawdx
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_espanol) February 28, 2022
