Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi admitted he had to adapt to a new system at his new club in Paris in the recently concluded season. Messi had a difficult first season with Paris Saint-Germain, where he failed to score as many goals as he had at his previous club Barcelona. Messi, arguably the greatest to have played the game, left Barcelona in 2021 after 17 years, the Argentinean scoring 672 goals and providing 266 assists for the Catalan giants.
The 34-year-old talked about leaving the Camp Nou and how it affected him and his family as he never thought of playing for any other team than Barcelona.
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“Whatever happened after the Copa, whatever happened after losing the final, it was a bad time. Happiness was complete and the situation in the middle [leaving Barça] happened,” Messi told Argentinian outlet TyC Sports.
“I never thought that I would play for a team other than Barcelona. I had everything in Barcelona. I went to Barcelona when I was very young. I lived more in Barcelona than in Argentina. Truth be told. It’s that I had no plans to change anything. Luckily the kids adaptation was good, but it was more difficult for Antonella and me,” he said.
Messi spoke of arriving late at PSG and a knee injury making it difficult to adjust to his new team.
“At PSG I started the league late because I arrived late at the club, then I hurt my knee, which kept me out of action for a while and I couldn’t adapt between one thing and another. I couldn’t play three or four games in a row,” he said.
The Argentine forward revealed that his lungs were also severely affected after being tested for COVID-19 earlier this year.
“Then I said: ‘Okay, after that I start a new year [2022]I’m gonna come in with all my energy, I’m going to change, adaptation is over’, and then I tested positive for COVID-19,” he said, adding, “COVID-19 left a lot in my lungs.” in the mark,” he said.
“At Barcelona I had teammates with whom I played for many years and they knew me very well. At PSG I had to adapt to a new system and new teammates,” Messi continued.
The 34-year-old further added that next season is going to be different for PSG as the adaptation period is over for him and he is a bit more comfortable in the dressing room.
“Thinking about me, personally and about what happened this year, I think about being able to reverse the situation, about not having the feeling to switch clubs and that didn’t go well for me. And as you said, I know this year is going to be different; I’m ready for what’s to come, I know the club, I know the city, I’m a little more comfortable with my teammates in the dressing room and I know it’s going to be different.
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