Argentine star Lionel Messi is experiencing his worst season ever, as his level has declined sharply, his technical condition has deteriorated, and his goals have become rare after he was the leading scorer in Barcelona and his country.

The language of numbers clearly reveals the extent of the decline of Messi, who scored 672 goals during the 778 games he played with Barcelona from 2004 to 2021, compared to only 7 goals he scored in the Saint-Germain shirt during the 26 games he played since joining the French team last summer.

And the matter does not stop at scoring goals, but extends to performance as well, as Messi failed to make any change in performance with his usual technical touches, whether in the local league or the European Champions, and the result was the defeat of Saint-Germain in many local matches, beginning with the French Super, and finally the exit from the price UEFA Champions League Final against Real Madrid.

Messi has not adapted to Saint-Germain

Haitham Farouk, the former star of the Egyptian national team and an analyst on the "BN Sports" channels, believes that Messi has not yet adapted to the French championship nor the society there, as he faces many differences in language, culture and customs that affect him negatively, although he is a legendary player, his whole life he spent in Barcelona.

The sports analyst told Al Jazeera Net that Messi went through periods of decline with his country also during his brilliance with Barcelona, ​​which prompted them to search behind the reasons for this decline, and they found that the level of the group he was playing with in Barcelona was the reason, such as Xavi, Iniesta, Dani Alves and Pique And Carlos Puyol, as the Argentine national team did not include stars that matched these names in quality on the field.

Farouk - the first Egyptian professional in the history of the Dutch league when he played for Feyenoord in 1996 - points out that Messi has not been added to Saint-Germain so far, with evidence that every year he wins local championships and reaches an advanced role in the Champions League.

But this season, he lost the local Super to Lille, and was eliminated from the French Cup on penalties, and recently lost with a heavy result against Monaco, in addition to his early exit from the Champions League.

He believes that in light of Messi's inability to add to Saint-Germain and the French club not adding anything new to him, the solution is in the hands of his friend and former colleague Xavi to return Messi to Barcelona next season.

In light of Xavi's contact with Messi on several occasions, the last of which was the Barcelona coach's condolences to his legendary scorer after the loss against Real, Spanish reports confirmed that it is difficult for Messi to return before the expiration of his contract due to the high financial cost that the Catalan club cannot afford currently in light of the financial crisis that he suffers from and caused. Messi's departure.

Reports also said that Messi intends to complete his contract with Saint-Germain until the summer of 2023, that is, after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Messi recently hinted at the possibility of his retirement after the World Cup, meaning that he could retire internationally after the World Cup in Qatar, and retire permanently after the end of his contract with Saint Germain, in the event that his level in the stadiums continues to decline.

difference in artistic identity

Dr. Mohamed Jado, professor of football training at the Faculty of Physical Education, says that Messi's decline is due to several reasons, the most important of which is the difference in technical identity between his former team Barcelona and the current Saint Germain, noting that the player does not convey the technical identity of the team, but the coach is the one who does that as happened with Pep Guardiola when he moved from Barcelona to Bayern Munich and Manchester City and transferred the technical identity that distinguishes him to the two teams.

Jadu adds that Barcelona was playing with 10 players plus Messi, who was not involved in the defensive play of his team, and his active participation begins after the ball is broken, and Barcelona was characterized by team play, while Saint-Germain's performance tends to be individual.

He also tells Al Jazeera Net that the tactical discipline in Barcelona was helping Messi to shine and appear better, which he lacks in Saint Germain, even though his coach Pochettino is one of the very qualified coaches.

The coaching professor believes that the large number of big stars in Saint-Germain (Messi, Mbappe and Neymar) negatively affected the team and Messi personally, because managing the big stars may be a curse for any team instead of a blessing.

Jado does not block the way for Messi to regain his luster, provided that he plays for a team that has the same artistic identity and environment in which he lived in Barcelona, ​​because he depends on his performance on techniques and skills that may extend his life in the stadiums.

Age and fitness of Messi and Ronaldo

Dr. Safa Pasha, a trainer specializing in fitness, told Al Jazeera Net that what is happening with Messi is normal, because according to scientific studies, fitness rates begin to decline from the age of 27, if the player does not maintain them with continuous good training according to a scientific training program.

Pasha - who works as a coach for football referees in Qatar - adds that the decline in physical fitness after this age is difficult to correct, stressing that the decline in physical fitness directly affects technical fitness as well, as a skilled player like Messi depends on the elements of speed, neuromuscular compatibility and agility, All of these are elements of physical fitness, and if he declines, his technical skills in passing and dribbling will weaken.

And the coach who specializes in fitness confirms that Messi is not alone, as Ronaldo has become a regular player after his advanced age and the decline in his physical fitness and thus technicality.

He points out that what helps clarify the decline of Messi and Ronaldo is that we have always looked at them for 5 years, and we forget that the rates of technical and physical fitness decline naturally with age.