There are a couple of days left until a new anniversary of one of the happiest days in the life of Lionel Messi. It is that after winning all possible titles with the Barcelona shirt, added to the consecrations with the National Team in the Copa América and the Finalissima that broke the curse, lifting the World Cup trophy meant closing the perfect circle of his career for the Rosario star.
That December 18, 2022 in Qatar, which ended with a dramatic World Cup final against France, for many the best definition of all time, was a day that Messi and his family will never forget. So much so that, whenever a fan can, it reminds him of something about the title in the Middle East.
This was the case in the run-up to the game in which PSG faced Lens for the league 1 from France. While Messi and the rest of his teammates from the Parisian team warmed up on the pitch of the Princes Park, a person who was behind the illuminated advertising signs yelled at him “come on, world champion”.
What was the reaction of the number 30 of Paris Saint Germain? He smiled and winked at the one who reminded him of the title most important in the sporting career of the captain of the Argentine team.
Beyond the warm moment that he lived in the previous one, Messi was once again important in the key victory he achieved the tricolor Parisian in his stadium. With only seven dates remaining for the end of the most important tournament in French football, PSG extended the lead at the top of the standings after a 3-1 win against Lens, its immediate rival in the fight for the championship.
Fairly, the rosarino was the author of the third goal for the locals, which practically sentenced the duel in favor of the French capital as a whole. It was running on minute 40 when the visitors, who were already down one player due to the expulsion of Abdul Samed, felt the blow of being with 10 players and a disadvantage of two goals. That was when Messi took the ball in front of the area and set up Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman, the creator of the first goal of the match, improvised a superb assist with a back-heel that baffled the three rivals he was close to and left Leo facing goal.
Later in the play, the Argentine waited for the precise time and adjusted the shot with his left foot, crossing the far post of goalkeeper Brice Samba to score the third goal of the evening for PSG. This conquest was the 15th so far in Ligue 1 for Messi, who also has 14 assists in the competition (nine of them went to Mbappé), so his participation in goals directly reached the mark of 29more than any other player in this competition in elite football in France.
The Parisian team asserts itself at the top of the standings and extended its advantage as leader, which is now nine points over Lens (72-63). Without international competition -eliminated in the round of 16 of the Champions League by Bayern Munich- and out of the French Cup, PSG is heading for a new title, its eleventh in the history of the competition. Will it be the last of the Argentine idol in Paris?
Keep reading:
