via Getty
PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 11: Lionel Messi arrives on the pitch after holding a press conference announcing his signing with French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain in Paris on August 11, 2021. Messi, the six time Ballon d’Or trophy winner with FC Barcelona, signed a 2-year contract with an option for a third year with the French club. (Photo by Gisele Tellier/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
via Getty
PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 11: Lionel Messi arrives on the pitch after holding a press conference announcing his signing with French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain in Paris on August 11, 2021. Messi, the six time Ballon d’Or trophy winner with FC Barcelona, signed a 2-year contract with an option for a third year with the French club. (Photo by Gisele Tellier/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Paris Saint Germain had one of the best squads in the world last season. However, they then decided to go on and sign Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos to make it even better. If that wasn’t enough, they signed Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, and Gini Wijnaldum, too. Moreover, they signed them all for a combined 65 million euros.
Now that the question of “which club has the best squad in the world?” is a foregone conclusion, PSG is expected to dominate every single competition they are a part of. However, that did not happen. PSG were knocked out of the Coupe de France by OGC Nice yesterday.
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Lionel Messi dons the No. 10 jersey for the club
Messi started the game for PSG alongside Mauro Icardi and Julian Draxler. However, the three never got going, and the club failed to score a goal. Kylian Mbappe came on for the second half, but he couldn’t produce a moment of brilliance to turn the tide either.
The game went on to penalties and OGC Nice snatched the win after Xavi Simons (another player PSG signed from FC Barcelona) missed his penalty. The mood is drab among the PSG contingent, but there could be one silver lining in all of it if you remain optimistic.
Messi played the entire game while wearing the No. 10 shirt. His original shirt number is 30, and Neymar Jr. wears the number 10 for PSG. However, Coupe de France rules state that every player on the field must wear a shirt with numbers from 1 to 11. Hence, Messi played the entire game with 10 on his back for his attacking midfield role.
Lionel Messi wore PSG's number 10 shirt for the first time in their Coupe de France defeat to Nice 🔟 pic.twitter.com/ltokjsNmLB
— GOAL (@goal) February 1, 2022
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Trouble in paradise for Mauricio Pochettino
PSG’s manager Mauricio Pochettino has some tough questions to answer after PSG are out of another cup competition domestically. His team was supposed to dominate every single competition, both in Europe and France, but that has not been the case.
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A few questions have also been raised about his dedication, as rumors about a move to Manchester United make the headlines now and then. However, it’ll be interesting to see if Pochettino can take this team to the promised land and win the UCL with the club.
Read More: “I Don’t Think They Dominated Much of Anything”: USMNT Coach Gregg Berhalter Satisfied With Team After Loss to Canada
