5 Ligue 1 forwards who are having a better season than Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi recently won a record seventh Ballon d'Or award, usurping the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Jorginho and Karim Benzema. The former Barcelona captain has weaved his magic on the pitch over the last 15 years to cement his legacy as one of the all-time greats.
Messi joined Ligue 1 giants PSG in the summer after Barcelona failed to renew his contract. However, by his own lofty standards, Messi has endured an underwhelming campaign at PSG so far. The Argentine maestro is yet to find his goalscoring boots, and has failed to make an impact in the French top flight thus far.
Messi has 1 goal in 40 shots so far in Ligue 1 giving him the lowest conversion rate in Europe’s top 6 leagues with 2.5% (Opta)
Slow start https://t.co/D2NheYiLra
Lionel Messi has scored just one goal in nine games in French top flight. Unsurprisingly, other forwards have enjoyed a stellar campaign this year than Messi. Without further ado, here is a look at five Ligue 1 forwards who are having a better season than Messi:
#5 Gaetan Laborde - Stade Rennes
Stade Rennes have proved themselves to be a force to be reckoned with in Ligue 1 this campaign. They currently sit in third place in the league table, and much of the credit for their stellar season goes to in-form striker Gaetan Laborde.
With nine goals and two assists in 16 league games, Laborde is enjoying a good run of form, and has had an incredible impact on his club's fortunes. The 27-year-old is aggressive and direct, which makes him an ideal target man, considering his lethal poaching ability.
Considering his stellar exploits, it will be interesting to see where Laborde ends up at the end of the season.
#4 Amine Gouiri - OGC Nice
After enjoying a breakthrough campaign last season, OGC Nice youngster Amine Gouiri has kept up his sensational form this campaign. The 21-year-old has fired on all cylinders, which has attracted huge interest from top European clubs.
Gouiri has racked up eight goals and four assists, helping his club into the top four of the Ligue 1 table. In addition to his efficiency in front of goal, the French sharpshooter has shown immense maturity and composure while picking out his teammates.
Amine Gouiri. The dual threat.
OGC Nice. 21. 1.81m. One of my favourite strikers to watch in this series.
Great with either foot, lovely movement inside the box and the football IQ to receive the ball in either half space and rotate to create space for off the ball runs.
Gouiri is undoubtedly one of the players to watch out for in Ligue 1 at the moment.