How PSG and Wizards Became the Graveyards for the GOATs: Lionel Messi and Michael Jordan’s Tragic Tales

The day Lionel Messi left Barcelona, a part of his legacy left the club. Fans rushed to the Nou Camp to pour their hearts out and witness their prodigal son depart. Because of various financial struggles, the Catalan club sold the Argentinian legend to stabilize their wage bill. Soon after, Paris Saint Germain became the next destination for the soccer player, whom a myriad of fans dub ‘the GOAT’.

Yet, the move failed to materialize as Paris Saint Germain could not win their first UEFA Champions League. When Barca fans shed tears in 2021, the fans in PSG booed him at every moment in 2023. The scenario looks clear when drawing parallels to another GOAT in the name of Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards. 

After winning his sixth NBA title, Jordan retired from basketball in 1998. Entering his late 30s, he came out of retirement to the Washington Wizards to follow his never-ending passion for winning. But, the exact opposite took place for the franchise. They plummeted to rock bottom in his comeback season. The players were unhappy about his presence, and it was reflected in the franchise’s performances. So let’s dive deeper and analyze what went wrong for the two stars in their second spells. 

Terraces of Nou Camp worship Lionel Messi!

When he arrived in Barcelona, scouts doubted his ability to play soccer. The doctors diagnosed him with a growth hormone disorder, casting fears about his capacity to play at the highest level. You see, the mentality of world-class athletes stays at a high level due to their determination to succeed.

The club promised treatments for the pocket-size boy from the Pampas, and the rest, as they say, is history! According to Transfermarkt, he amassed 778 games and scored 672 goals and 303 assists. NBA has a term called stat-padding, where players believe in collecting individual accolades rather than benefitting the team. However, don’t dare to put Messi in that bracket. He was just exemplary. 

The trophies collected during his time with the club make people stand up and take notice. He won ten La Liga titles, four Champions League, seven Copa del Ray, eight Spanish Super Cups, three European Super Cups, and three Club World Cups, winning 45 total trophies with the club. The individual accolades are there for the team to see.

Comparing that record to his time with Paris Saint Germain, it looks bleak. Not that he lacked creativity, but the Argentinian failed to mirror those fruitful years during his time with Barca. The player arrived at PSG to the joy of the fans, who believed their fortunes would change. 

But no one could predict the events that unfolded since then!

To the controversial sidelines, Lionel Messi sat at Parc des Princes

On the positive side, he played 75 games while scoring 32 goals and 35 assists, and won two Ligue 1 titles and one Trophee des Champions. But that was not the underlying reason for all the concerns. For starters, he donned the iconic number 10 jersey, which people keep on the walls of the prayer rooms in Argentina. But there was something strange about Messi’s situation when the French club changed his number to 30 upon his arrival. And those predictions became true. European powerhouses Real Madrid shocked PSG by overturning a 1-0 deficit to triumph 3-1 in dramatic circumstances in the second leg.

The first chorus of boos rang then as fans made the Argentinian the scapegoat. The match shocked the fans as he looked like a shadow of the player who converted mazy dribbles into goals at Barca. 

In the current season, the trio of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Messi gelled well after spending a season together. Surely players of that ability could break down teams with ease. Yet, the Champions League proved an issue as they lost to German giants Bayern Munich, who won the game convincingly. The victory sparked outrage, as fans couldn’t hide their feelings.

They booed Messi in almost every match since then, and ultimately, the Argentinian pondered to leave the club. The club later suspended him for going on an unauthorized trip with his family to Saudi Arabia; which probably could be his next club destination. 

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The fact that a soccer player who won the prestigious World Cup trophy had a gloomy departure from a French club is unacceptable to soccer enthusiasts. Where is the professionalism? The GOAT lost the plot as fans compared the scenario to the return of Michael Jordan from his second retirement. 

Michael Jordan ruled the NBA bar none!

Jordan endured a challenging start to his basketball career. Once upon a time, coaches never believed he could play the game. Like every dramatic sports story, Jordan returned to the top in breathtaking circumstances in his early career. Shooting mid-range buckets, stealing the ball efficiently, and scoring game-winning shots, Jordan could do it all. The numbers on the individual scoreboard keep him aside as the GOAT of basketball. 

According to Basketball Reference, during his 13 seasons with the Chicago Bulls, ‘His Airness’ averaged 31.5 points, 5.4 assists, 2.5 steals which is ridiculously high, and shooting while having an effective field goal percentage of 51.8%. Take a break and completely immerse yourself in Jordan’s antics on the 94 by 50 feet wooden courts! 

As expected, he won six NBA titles and took home six finals MVPs, along with five regular season MVPs. He won the scoring championship ten times, adding a Defensive Player of the Year award in 1988. Similarly to Messi’s number 10 jersey, Jordan rose to heights with his legendary 23.

Besides the individual records, the Bulls went on a 72-10 record during the 1995-96 season. With all that in the bag, he left the Bulls in 1998 after the team completed a historic second three-peat. After achieving everything, he left the game to retire in peace. But soon, the passion rekindled as he joined the Washington Wizards in 2001-02. 

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During his time with the Bulls, Jordan became a hardened trainer and often pushed his teammates to the limit. The progress made propelled them to all those NBA titles. After adopting that same approach with the Wizards, the ball went out of bounds, to his surprise. 

Players hated MJ while wanting him out!

Approaching the season with promise, Jordan averaged 21.2 points, but the effective field goal percentage tumbled from 51.8% to 43.6%. Those numbers reflected the team’s performance. The 2000-01 season saw the Wizards finish 14th in the Eastern Conference table with a win-loss record of 19-63. The season after yielded better results, with a win-loss record of 37-45. But the team failed to make the playoffs and finished tenth. Gone were those glory days of trash-talking with substance as his teammates wanted him out. 

Famous columnist of the Washington Post, Mike Wise, explained how Jordan’s teammate canceled his retirement gift while speaking in Slate’s Hang Up and Listen podcast in 2020. He said, “[I said] How do I know that? ‘I just went around and asked every player if they would chip in for a retirement gift for him, give him something nice. All of them turned their backs on me.’ And I said, Every player?’ And [Unseld] goes, ‘Unanimous.'”

As it goes, the careers of Lionel Messi and Michael Jordan at PSG and Wizards, respectively, failed to turn their heads around. Seeing them rip those chapters from their biography won’t come as a surprise. Even though they remain the GOATs, it is a small black mark in their golden careers!

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