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Comparing Lionel Messi’s stats to PSG’s forwards this season

Planet Football •

Barcelona’s Champions League Round of 16 draw against PSG is overloaded with narrative, with all the attention on former team-mates Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Neymar played a key role in Barcelona’s astonishing 6-1 second-leg comeback the last time the Catalan side played PSG, scoring twice and assisting Sergi Roberto’s winner in the final 10 minutes back in 2017.

The Brazilian has since moved to the perennial French champions for a world record fee and there are suggestions that Messi could join him next summer. If he does, we’d be keeping a close eye on the betting odds for PSG to finally win the Champions League.

“What I want most of all is to play with Messi again, to be able to enjoy him once again on the pitch,” Neymar recently told ESPN.

“He can play in my place, I have no problem with that! But I want to play with him next year, for sure. We have to do it next season.”

Messi, of course, has incredible pedigree with over 700 goals for club and country. But at the age of 33, how do his stats from 2020-21 compare to what PSG have already got?

Here’s how his stats from La Liga this season compare to Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Pablo Sarabia, Moise Kean, Angel Di Maria and Mauro Icardi in Ligue 1.

Goals
Kylian Mbappe – 10
Lionel Messi – 5
Moise Kean – 5
Neymar – 3
Pablo Sarabia – 2
Angel Di Maria – 2
Mauro Icardi – 2

Assists
Kylian Mbappe – 4
Pablo Sarabia – 4
Angel Di Maria – 4
Neymar – 3
Mauro Icardi – 0
Moise Kean – 0
Lionel Messi – 0

Minutes per goal
Kylian Mbappe – 63.1
Moise Kean – 118
Mauro Icardi – 176.5
Lionel Messi – 189
Neymar – 190.3
Pablo Sarabia – 324.5
Angel di Maria – 334.5

Minutes per goal or assist
Kylian Mbappe – 45
Neymar – 95.1
Pablo Sarabia – 108
Angel Di Maria – 111.5
Moise Kean – 118
Mauro Icardi – 176.5
Lionel Messi – 189

Chances created per 90 minutes
Angel Di Maria – 3.1
Neymar – 3.0
Pablo Sarabia – 2.5
Lionel Messi – 2.4
Kylian Mbappe – 2.0
Mauro Icardi 2.0
Moise Kean – 0.3

Successful dribbles per 90 minutes (success rate)
Neymar – 6.3 (60%)
Kylian Mbappe – 4.4 (53%)
Lionel Messi – 4.3 (59%)
Angel Di Maria – 2.4 (55%)
Moise Kean – 1.2 (57%)
Pablo Sarabia – 0.7 (50%)
Mauro Icardi – 0 (0%)

READ: Neymar, David Bowie, and being a victim of your own genius

Passes per 90 minutes (passing accuracy)
Lionel Messi – 63 (85%)
Neymar – 55.3 (80.6%)
Pablo Sarabia – 39.5 (81.4%)
Angel Di Maria – 38.7 (79.2%)
Kylian Mbappe – 38.4 (81.8%)
Moise Kean – 12.4 (74.1%)
Mauro Icardi – 11.5 (75.6%)

Shots per 90 minutes (inside penalty area)
Lionel Messi – 5.8 (2.7)
Kylian Mbappe – 5.0 (4.4)
Neymar – 4.4 (1.9)
Mauro Icardi – 3.1 (2.5)
Pablo Sarabia – 2.8 (1.9)
Moise Kean – 2.7 (2.4)
Angel Di Maria – 2.7 (1.2)


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