Messi’s 50 Ligue 1 games harvest for PSG

Lionel Messi’s 50th Ligue 1 appearance was a night to forget for the Argentinian, as both he and his side suffered very public embarrassments. French league leader PSG gave its rivals in the title race a glimmer of hope after losing 1-0 to Lyon on Sunday for a second straight home defeat. Paris Saint-Germain lost at home to mid-table Lyon in their eighth defeat of 2023. Even before the game, there was unrest in the stands as the PSG faithful whistled Messi’s name when the starting XI was announced. His 50th French league appearance was a miserable one but it does offer the opportunity to look back on Messi’s time in Paris since his shock switch in 2021. Overall he has scored 19 times and assisted 28 goals in his 50 Ligue 1 appearances. Since the data was first collected in 2006/07, this ranks as the third-most goal involvements in a player’s first 50 Ligue 1 games. Leading the rankings are Neymar (47 goals, 25 assists) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (43 goals, 14 assists).
Messi's contract with PSG expires on June 30, 2023at the end of the current season.