Lionel Messi has failed at PSG with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe potentially facing exits too

Lionel Messi is set to leave PSG at the end of the season, though Kylian Mbappe and Neymar could join him out of the exit door.

On Wednesday, shortly after being suspended by PSG, it emerged Lionel Messi would be leaving the Ligue 1 giants at the end of the season. The Argentina international joined from Barcelona in 2021 with one objective: to win the Champions League. Given that hasn’t happened that means he’s failed for the first time in his glittering career – and it’ll be interesting to see if both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe jump ship as well.

Messi, in a rare show of defiance, recently angered PSG by jetting off to Saudi Arabia with his family – with the Ligue 1 giants then suspending him for two weeks for his actions.

And it’s now emerged the Argentina international will be on the move from the Parc des Princes come the summer, with his contract due to expire.

If you read purely into statistics, then talk of Messi being a failure potentially seems too harsh.

The 35-year-old managed a respectable 11 goals and 15 assists last term, a total of 26 goal involvements from 34 matches across all competitions.

And he’s been even better this season, finding the net 20 times across all competitions while registering 19 assists as well – making it 39 goal involvements from 37 games

But Messi was brought in to win the Champions League and the brutal truth of the matter is PSG are no closer to that happening now compared to when he arrived.

It is the competition that has become the Holy Grail over in Paris, with the Ligue 1 titans yet to ever lift the prize despite their dominance of the domestic scene.

Messi did his part this season, scoring four times and creating four other goals for his team-mates during his eight appearances in the competition.

Yet he was anonymous as Bayern Munich sent PSG crashing out of the competition earlier in the season, contributing virtually nothing during the two legs.

Messi’s powers are waning. Though he remains one of the best players in the world, he no longer has that mantle all to himself.

Many are quick to condemn Cristiano Ronaldo, saying the Manchester United star never lived up to the hype at Old Trafford after his return in 2021.

So the same logic must apply to Messi, too.