Cristiano Ronaldo is shining at Manchester United, so why is Lionel Messi faltering at PSG?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

The summer transfer window saw two of the most high profile moves in recent footballing history with Cristiano Ronaldo heading back to Manchester United and Lionel Messi joining Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona on a free transfer.

Both players were expected to sparkle at their new clubs but it has not been the case for one of them so far.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been outstanding for the Premier League giants since his move to Old Trafford and he has managed to score three goals in two Premier League matches.

The Portuguese international also managed to score in the Champions League opener against Young Boys.

While Ronaldo continues to shine in the toughest league in the world, Lionel Messi has been a shadow of his former self for his new club Paris Saint-Germain in a relatively easier competition.

The Argentine has made three appearances for the French club across all competitions and he has failed to find the net so far.

The 34-year-old is clearly struggling to adapt to French football and it will be interesting to see if he can recapture his peak form in the next few weeks.

Messi was expected to light up French football and the fans will be expecting to see his wizardry soon.

One of the main reasons behind Messi’s failure at PSG so far is that the set-up at the Ligue 1 club is not engineered to get the best out of the Argentine international.

At Barcelona, the playing system was designed to get the best out of Messi and the Argentine thrived in it.

At Paris Saint-Germain, Mauricio Pochettino has to accommodate world-class footballers like Kylian Mbappe and Neymar as well and therefore the system is no longer designed to enhance or mask the strengths and weaknesses of Messi.

Furthermore, the Spanish outfit had a defined style of play which is hugely different to the one employed by PSG.

It remains to be seen whether the 34-year-old can adapt to these changes and establish himself as a key player for the French outfit over the coming months.

 As far as Cristiano Ronaldo is concerned, the Portuguese superstar has operated in different systems at different clubs throughout his career and his adaptability is unsurprisingly a lot better compared to the Argentine.

Ronaldo’s transition at Manchester United has been a lot easier because of that and he has managed to hit the ground running in the Premier League.

Furthermore, the 36-year-old has played in England before and his previous experience of Premier League football is also one of the main reasons why he has made an immediate impact.