Although he managed an assist for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Lionel Messi was unable to find the scoresheet once again. However, it was Angel di Maria, with his brilliant return of one goal and one assist, who won the admiration of the fans at the Parc des Princes.
With Di Maria's contract set to end this summer, he finished his last game at the club on a high with a strong performance.
Taking to Twitter, football fans reacted to Di Maria's goal, as the star broke down in tears after scoring his final goal after a seven-year stint in Paris. Here is a selection of tweets:
Di Maria enjoyed a lengthy career with the Parisians, appearing in 295 games and scoring 92 goals. When he was substituted off in the 74th minute, his teammates formed a guard of honor for the Argentine, while Parc des Princes erupted in a standing ovation.
Should Lionel Messi leave PSG?
So far, it's been a bittersweet season for the Argentine attacker at the French capital, where he has struggled to perform optimally since his Camp Nou exit.
Although he joined his teammates at the Parc des Princes last summer, Messi only managed to score his first Ligue 1 goal in late November, last year. His goalscoring was better in the Champions League, scoring five in just seven games, but it didn't help that PSG were knocked out by Real Madrid in the round of 16.
But while his inability to hit the back of the net regularly was a source of concern, Messi maintained a vibrant presence in the final third with his playmaking efforts. 14 assists from 24 Ligue 1 starts is rather impressive, and much of it is thanks to Kylian Mbappe, whose goalscoring put the Parisians on top of Ligue 1.
However, it falls short of Angel di Maria's record of 18 Ligue 1 assists back in the 2015-16 season. Di Maria also managed 14 league assists in 2019-20, which only shows that Messi hasn't turned any heads with his performances in Paris.
Bar the last seven games, where he has returned four goals, Lionel Messi hasn't been his Blaugrana-best with PSG, and he may continue to find it difficult next season.
It might be in the star's best interests to leave the Parisians and head back to Camp Nou, or perhaps to the MLS. If he is to remain in Paris, he would need to improve on his current goalscoring form and become a force to be reckoned with in Ligue 1.
Champion88
179
Messi is the most unselfish player of all time.. that’s why he’s the best
fizbizzie
49
Messi comes in for a season and made Mbappe the best player today. ronaldo comes in and.....
NillonThomas
44
the game at PSG is not pass pass to Messi is pass to Mbappe he keeps the ball then passed to Neymar Jr hold on to the ball it's not like Barcelona where the game is build around Messi so that's one point to look at and I think it's the only point to look at if we want to see the best out of Messi again he will have to leave Mbappe SG
hetoach97
20
you still can't disrespect Messi. he's the greatest in history.
obataobie
12
Did Messi not score brace and the goal which won PSG the league? Why should this So called writer or pundit say that Messi failed to score Again? That is bias reporting from Ronaldo's paid agents. Those negative remarks can not remove anything from Messi.