PSG superstar Lionel Messi carves out unwanted piece of history as Ligue 1 announce Player of the Season nominees
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Lionel Messi has been overlooked by Ligue 1 in their nominees for the 'Player of the Season' for 2021-22.
UNFP have announced their nominees for all the end-of-season awards and the Argentine hasn't managed to make it to the Player of the Year award.
With the snubbing, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has carved out yet another piece of history, although this time for the wrong reasons. This is the first time he has failed to make the shortlist for a domestic award since 2008.
Since 2009, Messi has been nominated for at least one domestic award every season and has also won plenty of them.
He has been named the La Liga Best Player award on nine out of 13 occasions since the inception of the award with Barcelona.
He has clinched the La Liga Best Attacker award on 11 occasions, only losing to Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013-14 and Karim Benzema in 2019-20. He finished third and second respectively.
Lionel Messi didn't make the list of nominees for the best player in Ligue 1 this season 👀 https://t.co/kQO8CuD5nk
However, with the underwhelming debut season he has endured at PSG, it isn't really a surprise. The Argentine has scored just four Ligue 1 goals in 23 outings this season. Though the 34-year-old has been a brilliant provider with 13 assists to his name, second only to Kylian Mbappe's 15.
Kylian Mbappe will be the outright favorite to win the Player of the Season award. He has scored a league-leading 24 goals and made 15 assists.
The other four nominees are Monaco striker Wissam Ben Yedder, Marseille midfielder Dimitri Payet, Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta and Rennes attacker Martin Terrier.
Mauricio Pochettino has also failed to make the shortlist for the Manager of the Season award despite leading his team to the Ligue 1 title.
Jorge Sampaoli, Bruno Genesio, Antoine Kombouare, Julien Stephan and Christophe Galtier have made the five-man shortlist for the award.
Can Lionel Messi turn things around at PSG?
Messi was widely expected to dominate Ligue 1 following his sensational move to PSG last summer. However, the former Barcelona star has struggled for form in his debut season at the Parc des Princes.
Will next season be different for Messi at PSG? 🤔 https://t.co/WYRfFWCj9P
He failed to help them perform in the Champions League as they bowed out to Real Madrid in the Round of 16.
PSG fans are clearly not too impressed with the iconic Argentine footballer having booed him earlier this season. However, with the sheer quality he possesses, Messi would be expected to work his magic next season at the French club.