Is Lionel Messi on a decline? The four-time Ballon d'Or winner is currently undergoing one of his toughest seasons in recent memory and is having a year to forget.
Messi scored 92 goals in 2012 and set the bar so high, that it almost seemed impossible to top—even for him. But considering he was the man that continually raised the bar, it was not completely impossible that Barcelona's main man would remain in sterling form throughout 2013 and help Barcelona through a resurgence after a rather disappointing display in the first half of 2013.
However, instead of resting during the summer, the superstar engaged in a number of fundraising games that wound up being failures. Once the season got underway, Messi was stricken by nagging injuries not once, not twice, but three times. Eight goals in eight games is not a number to smirk at. But at that rate, Messi would have his lowest goal total since 2010-11 when he managed 31 in 31 games. Most would argue that figure would still be solid, but considering the subject in question, it is alarming and concerning.
The reason for this concern has been Messi's form lately. The injuries have seemingly knocked his speed down a few gears and he looks out-of-sync on the pitch. He scored a solid goal against AC Milan on Tuesday, but failed on a clear chance against Madridon Saturday. His performance throughout that match was reminiscent of the way he played when injured against Bayern Munich in the 4-0 defeat in Germany.
There is still a lot of time for Messi to turn this around, but his performance thus far has been nowhere near the standard that the Argentine has set for himself in the past.