Lionel Messi, what’s the problem?

“Wales. Golf. Madrid. In this order”. You probably remember that ironic flag waved by a hilarious Gareth Bale and his compatriots after an international match. It made a lot less smile on the side of Real Madrid, who saw the Welshman spending almost all his time in the infirmary. “Argentina, Champions League, Ligue 1” would be the intended version of Lionel Messi. Indeed, La Pulga has a good chance of not playing the last Ligue 1 match before the new international break, scheduled for Bordeaux on Saturday at 9 p.m.

This will not prevent him from flying to South America to continue the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, with two shocks planned against Uruguay and then Brazil. Having left for treatment in Madrid in a clinic he has already attended, with the agreement of PSG, Messi hopes to reduce the inflammation in his left knee. The same one that was hit against Venezuela during the September break and against OL in L1 after a clash with Boateng. And who had precipitated his exit against LOSC at half-time last week. But in Argentina, Messi is expected to take part in the two scheduled meetings with the Albiceleste.

Unflattering statistics

And the statistics are enough to hurt Parisian leaders and supporters. For now, while waiting for the November truce, Messi has played 5 out of 5 possible matches with his selection, with a total of 4 goals (0 assist). In Ligue 1, he played 5 out of 11 possible (pending his probable withdrawal against Bordeaux) for 0 goal and 0 assist. His ineffectiveness in Ligue 1 is also reflected in the figures on his shots (15 attempted, only 4 on target). 5 league matches without scoring? This only happened to him once in Barcelona, ​​in 2020.

Fortunately, things are improving in the Champions League, with 3 out of 4 possible matches and 3 goals scored which have greatly helped Paris Saint-Germain. But he was not there Wednesday night to save his team, still tossed about by RB Leipzig. Messi’s current fragility could be explained by the “Mourning caused by the change of club and city”, suggests Guillem Balagué, Spanish journalist and biographer of Messi, in his column at Parisian. The 34-year-old Argentinian assured him that he had no concerns about his physical condition. It will soon have to be proven at Paris Saint-Germain.