Not many would have thought Lionel Messi's best days with Argentina would be at his late 30s. It took him long, but the PSG star finally buried the critics in his homeland to get into everyone's hearts.
Ever since he led his country to a long-awaited success in the 2021 Copa America, it's all been sunshine and roses for Messi with the national team. A memorable trip to Qatar 2022, which included a Finalissima win at Wembley apart from a remarkable campaign in the qualifiers, concluded in the best possible way.
At the club level, however, things have been more complicated. Messi struggled in his first season at PSG, but now he's starting to look like his true self again. In fact, former France coach Raymond Domenech believes Paris are taking the same approach Argentina did to get the best out of Messi.
Former France coach draws parallels between PSG, Argentina in regard to Messi
"I agree with [Christophe] Galtier. Even when he was younger, he didn't defend much, so now at the age of 35? On the other hand, when he has the ball in the opponent's box, something is happening," Domenech told L'Equipe, via Marca.
"He has a team at PSG that is actually built like Argentina's. They are all at the service of Messi. They are all at the service of Messi, who is going to make the difference."
Galtier said he asks the team to work for Messi, whom he relieves of certain duties so that he can concentrate on doing what he knows best. Domenech, now soccer analyst, believes it's the right call. After all, it worked for Argentina.
