PSG attacker Lionel Messi has worst conversion rate across Europe's top 5 leagues this season
Lionel Messi has gone from having the best shot conversions in Europe to the worst in the current campaign. The PSG star has scored just one league goal this season and that sees him have a conversion rate of just 2.9% – among players who have taken over 25 shots.
PSG signed Lionel Messi this summer after his release from Barcelona. The Catalan side were keen to keep the Argentine but La Liga rules saw them let go of their prized asset.
WhoScored have released the list of players with the worst conversion rate this season and Lionel Messi tops the list. The Argentine has a 2.9 conversion rate – the same as Mainz 05 forward Karim Onisiwo. Tottenham's Harry Kane is also having a miserable season and the Englishman is third in the list with a 3.1% conversion rate.
😖 Worst conversion rate in Europe's top 5 leagues this season (25+ shots):
1⃣ Lionel Messi - 2.9%
2⃣ Karim Onisiwo - 2.9%
3⃣ Harry Kane - 3.1% https://t.co/5G79jPe16l
Why has Lionel Messi struggled at PSG?
Lionel Messi is finding it hard to find the back of the net in Ligue 1 but the Argentine is trying to do his best in every single game. However, he has not managed to get anywhere close to the form he displayed at Barcelona and questions are being raised on his future in Paris.
While speaking with L'Equipe, Djibril Cisse claims that Lionel Messi's main issue is his sudden lifestyle change. He said:
"Lionel Messi's problem is that he's a human being. He has emotions. He has lifestyle habits. For more than twenty years, he was in his element, in Barcelona. And there, we take him, we put him in another environment and we say to him: 'Go ahead, perform.' But he changed his life. His family has changed their life. We must give him time to adapt. The life of a football player is impacted by his private life.
Cisse added:
"After that, it's true, he must also adapt to the (league). It's a physical Championship, with young defenders who put a lot of commitment into duels and want to compete against Messi. I remember seeing La Liga games where defenders, no doubt out of respect, did not always set foot with him as with others."
Lionel Messi has three assists and a goal in Ligue 1 but has found the back of the net thrice in the Champions League this season.
'It's not a football problem': Lionel Messi needs more time to adapt at PSG, says Djibril Cisse trib.al/w2lKFfF