Lionel Messi has once again disappointed with his performances for Paris Saint-Germain, as per the French media, after the Red-and-Blues crashed out of the 2021-2022 Coupe de France Round of 16 earlier this week. The Argentine scored from the penalty spot in the penalty roulette, and that could be labeled as the only rare mark he left during the game.
He reportedly traveled to Barcelona last week to meet with current Blaugrana manager Xavi Hernandez, as well as Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba. However, Messi's former teammate Gerard Pique was not present at the dinner. Their relationship had cooled after the Argentine star left for France, and the 34-year-old is not happy with the way the Spanish defender reacted to his departure.
Meanwhile, Barca are also struggling, as they have suffered elimination from the Spanish Super Cup, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey this season. Messi spent 21 years there and he is reportedly not happy with the way things are looking in Catalonia. As a result, Argentine media claim that he is angry with Joan Laporta, and the forward has singled the Barcelona president out as the only culprit for his Camp Nou exit.
4 reasons why Messi has struggled to settle at PSG
In PSG, Messi appears to feel left out in the cold, like an outcast, and Argentine publication El Confidential have made known several possible reasons for that. It is stated that the French giant's winger is yet to recover from the after-effects of COVID-19 due to which he missed almost three weeks of action. He apparently still has no strength in his body to play 90 minutes at the moment, especially not at the high rhythm level of soccer that is played in Ligue 1.
El Confidential also suggest that Paris simply does not suit Messi. He reportedly finds the weather too cold and too rainy compared to the sunny Barcelona, and he doesn't have many close friends in the dressing room beside the South American players. Although the club has arranged special language classes for Messi and his family, it is reported that they do not speak French effectively and it is causing a communication problem in the locker room.
In addition, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner spent his first months in Paris at the Royal Monceau hotel before moving to a 300-square-meter villa near his fellow national team players, Angel Di Maria, and Leandro Paredes. The superstar laments his previous home in Castelldefels, 20 kilometers outside of Barcelona because his new house lacks a soccer pitch, a swimming pool, and an expansive garden, as well as a picturesque view of the mountains and sea that he had become accustomed to.