Nothing happened in the play. PSG entertained the ball with inconsequential touches. Everything, at the door of the area Lenswho was already losing 2-0 in the Princes Park for the goals of vitinha y Kylian Mbappe. Suddenly, a vertical pass between the lines found Lionel Messi with the mark of Adrien Thomasson. It seemed that the French ate the Argentine with the brand. But La Pulga turned on the turbo, continued with the ball and looked for his compadre in the Parisian attack, Kylian Mbappé. There was already a scent of goal.

The star forward of the French team had a tenth of a second to decide. And, once once more, she did the right thing. He assumed that his South American teammate would follow his run and attack the space, on the side of the box, where there was no opposition. The problem was that the French was marked. She did not have much autonomy to think and execute. She had to do everything in one move; all taco And that he did: he tackled the ball as if it were a billiard ball. He got a basketball assist for Messi. As a alley-oop, but by land. The last stitch was from Rosario, which he received and executed: left-footed shot to the far post from goalkeeper Brice Samba. The artwork was finished. Great goal.

It was Messi’s 15th goal in 26 Ligue 1 games for PSG this season. In addition, the captain of the Argentine team has 14 assists. In total, he adds a positive assessment of +29 (more than one point per game). Judging by the statistics, no one can say that the second season of the Rosario star is worse than the first. Or that it did not meet expectations. It is true, the team was armed to the teeth to win the Champions League and failed in the attempt in both 2022 and 2023. It will be his karma.

Messi, whose individual numbers continue to be stratospheric beyond his team’s collective game, keeps his future up in the air. To the possibilities of Saudi Arabia (Al-Hilal), the MLS (Inter Miami) and Barcelona is added a postponed negotiation with his current club. Of course, the whistles from some fans in the French capital do not help the Argentine feel comfortable in the City of Light and accept the option of one more year that appears in his contract, signed in August 2021. At this point, the Argentine can be released on June 30. And decide where he will continue playing football without a single euro in between.

Until the middle of the year, the only competition PSG has left is Ligue 1. It may sound like a small prize to supporters of the team, but in recent days the president of the team, the Qatari Nasser Al-Khelaifi, took it upon himself to to tell them that the title was an obligation and that they had to raise the level. The results say it all: before this Saturday’s game at the Parc des Princes, PSG had not won in their last 10 appearances: six defeats and four draws. The title in the domestic tournament is also essential because it guarantees qualification for the group stage of the Champions League 23-24. Not being in the main European club tournament is a luxury that PSG cannot afford.

Meanwhile, Messi continues to do his thing. Oblivious to what his father is negotiating with those who intend to have him next season, he keeps smiling when he goes out onto the pitch. A boy in the body of a 35-year-old man, the Flea doesn’t work as a soccer player: he has fun when he plays ball. And he celebrates each of his goals (and great goals) as if it were the last. Or the first of his extensive professional career.

THE NATION