Last time out in Part 1 of this FM Experiment, we explored how Lionel Messi would fare in 3 seasons with each of the Premier League’s main contenders. But what if he took a gamble and joined some of the league’s less-fancied sides?
Messi at Aston Villa
One of the most interesting options was Messi moving to Aston Villa, who made great progress last season and look set to do the same again this season. But could Messi deliver success with Unai Emery?
He started well with 9 goals, 11 assists, which was only bettered by De Bruyne and Fernandes, and a 7.20 average rating in 31 league games. And he scored 14 with 15 assists and a 7.24 average rating in 38 games in all competitions. As a result, Villa performed well to finish 6th with 58 points ahead of Arsenal, Spurs and Man UFC. They lost to Chelsea in the Carabao 3rd round but an easy run of games saw them reach the FA Cup Final, only to lose 3-0 to 10-man Liverpool.
Messi hit new heights in season 2 as he scored 18 goals, which was only bettered by Haaland and Rashford (20) with 7 assists and a 7.18 average rating in 34 league games. He also got a club-high 28 and 12 assists with a 7.25 average rating in 53 games in all competitions. But Villa dropped to 8th place despite getting 64 points, which eventually got them into the Conference League, lost to Leeds in the Europa League semis, Man UFC in the FA Cup semis and 3-2 to City in the Carabao Final.
Messi also had a good 3rd season, scoring 11 with 4 assists and a 7.02 average rating in 34 league games. And he scored 19 with 8 assists and a 7.08 average rating in 51 games in all competitions. Villa finished 8th again with 53 points. But Messi ended his career with a trophy as Villa beat Köln 3-1 to win the Conference League, after they’d lost to Wolves in the FA Cup 5th round and Arsenal in the Carabao quarters.
Messi at Brentford
Brentford performed well in real life, pushing into the top half, but could Messi help them emulate that?
Messi enjoyed a strong first season with 10 goals, 3 assists and a 7.34 average rating in 38 league games. And he scored 12 with 5 assists and a 7.33 average rating in 46 games in all competitions. That took Brentford to a 12th-place finish with 46 points, 11 off the European places. They reached the FA Cup quarters but lost to City and went out in the Carabao 4th round against Leicester.
Messi was joined by Jordi Alba for season 2, along with Kaiky, Harry Winks and Davinson Sanchez in an odd transfer policy. Messi’s performances dropped off a little in season 2 with 7 goals, 6 assists and a 7.21 average rating in 38 league games. And he only played in 3 cup games, which doesn’t bode well. Brentford climbed to 11th place on 53 points, just 10 off the European places. But they went out of both cups in the 3rd round, losing to West Ham in the FA Cup and Brighton on penalties in the Carabao.
He played 37 league games in season 3, scoring 3 with 7 assists and a 7.16 average rating. And he scored 6 and got 10 assists with a 7.25 average rating in 43 games in all competitions. Brentford climbed to 10th place despite only getting 48 points, finishing 8 points off the European places. They also reached the FA Cup semis but lost 2-1 to City and lost to Man UFC in the Carabao 2nd round.
Messi at Brighton & Hove Albion
Another fascinating option would be how Messi would fit into the exciting project being built at Brighton – who are notoriously either really good or really bad on FM23.
His first season on the south coast was one of the best we’ve seen so far, as he started every league game and scored 12 goals and got 7 assists with a 7.47 average rating. He played 4 games in the cups, scoring 2 and getting 1 assist. That led Brighton to a 10th-place finish on 50 points, 13 away from the European places. But they lost to Sunderland in the FA Cup 4th round and Sunderland in the Carabao 3rd round.
Messi took the captaincy and was also good in his 2nd season at Brighton, scoring 9 with 4 assists and a 7.40 average rating in 36 league games. And he added a goal and 4 more assists in 8 cup appearances. Despite his form, Brighton fell to 15th in the league, but enjoyed better cup runs as they lost to City in the FA Cup quarters and Villa in the Carabao semis. But Brighton sacked De Zerbi in November and replaced him with Michael Beale.
He picked up a few injuries in season 3 and started 29 league games, scoring 7 and getting 3 assists with a 7.15 average rating. He played 4 cup games, adding another goal and assist. Brighton weren’t great again, finishing 14th on 41 points, 6 clear of relegation. And they exited both cup competitions in the 4th round, losing to Chelsea in the FA Cup and Bristol City in the Carabao. So Messi did quite well for Brighton, but his performances didn’t really help Brighton – and he’s retiring at the end of the season.
Messi at Crystal Palace
Another interesting option saw Messi join the likes of Eze, Oliseh, Zaha and co in an exciting attacking lineup at Palace.
Messi had a solid start at Palace, scoring 8 and assisting 6 with a 7.39 average rating in 34 league games. And he added 3 goals and 2 assists in 8 cup games. That inspired Palace to a strong campaign, finishing 9th in the league on 52 points, just 3 off the European places. They also reached the quarters of both cup competitions, losing to Chelsea in the FA Cup and Liverpool in the Carabao.
Messi was appointed Palace captain in 2023 and was easily their best player in season 2. He played 34 league games and scored 7 with 4 assists and a 7.22 average rating and added 3 more goals in 7 cup appearances. However, Palace dropped to 13th in the league with 44 points, lost to Arsenal in the FA Cup 5th round but reached the Carabao semis, in which they beat Liverpool 2-0 in the first leg but lost the away leg 3-0.
Messi enjoyed his strongest 3rd season of this experiment so far, starting all 38 league games and scoring 10 goals with 4 assists and a 7.12 average rating. He also played 8 cup games, scoring 1 more goal and adding 2 more assists. However, Palace had a poor season, dropping to 16th with just 36 points and only avoiding relegation by 4 points. They lost to Arsenal in the FA Cup 5th round and Brentford in the Carabao quarters. So Messi did quite well at Palace, but the club gradually got worse – and he again retired in the summer.
Messi at Everton
Everton have long disappointed their fans, coming close to relegation in the last 2 seasons. But Messi combined with Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be an enticing prospect.
Messi enjoyed a good 1st season at Everton, scoring 9 and getting 10 assists with a 7.35 average rating in 34 league games. He also performed well in the cups, adding 2 goals and 2 assists in 5 games. Everton were looking good in mid-season, sitting 9th in March but a terrible end to the campaign saw them slump to 15th, just 5 points above the relegation zone. They also disappointed in the cups, losing to Brighton in an FA Cup 5th round replay and Southampton in the Carabao 3rd round.
He was better in season 2 with 11 goals, 6 assists and a 7.49 average rating in 31 league games and 3 more assists in 5 cup games. That led Everton to an 8th-place finish, which was eventually enough to qualify for the Conference League. But they lost to Arsenal in the FA Cup 3rd round and Wolves in the Carabao quarters.
Messi also performed well in his final season at Everton, playing in all 38 games with 4 substitute appearances and scoring and assisting 7 with a 7.22 average rating. But he was exceptional in the Conference League, scoring 5 with a competition-high 8 assists, 7.62 average rating and 5 player of the match awards. Those performances saw Everton win the Conference League, beating Villarreal 2-1 after extra-time in the Final. However, they dropped to 11th in the league with just 43 points and only 6 points above the dropzone, in one of the most interesting relegation races you’ll ever see.
Messi at Newcastle United
An obvious option for Messi, given his supposed Saudi links, would have been to move to moneybags Newcastle.
For the first time, Messi started every league game and got 11 goals and 5 assists with a 7.34 average rating. He played 4 more cup games, adding a goal and an assist. But Newcastle could only finish 9th on 55 points, having topped the table in October and been 3rd in mid-February then only winning 1 of their last 11 games. They lost to Chelsea in the FA Cup 5th round and Arsenal in the Carabao 3rd round.
Messi had one of his best seasons of this whole experiment in his 2nd at Newcastle, scoring 11 and getting 10 assists with a 7.55 average rating, which was only bettered by Salah and Sterling, in 36 league games. 6 cup appearances took him to 14 goals and assists with a 7.60 average rating in 42 appearances in all competitions. His performances – plus the signings of Kroos and Coutinho – led Newcastle to a 4th-place finish and a Carabao Cup Final victory as they beat Spurs 3-1 with Messi scoring a penalty and earning player of the match.
He amassed even more minutes in season 3, playing 37 league games, but his performances dropped off as he scored 8 goals with 2 assists and a 7.08 average rating. He played 52 in all competitions, scoring 9 goals with 5 assists and a 7.12 average rating. Newcastle were 17th in mid-December, when Eddie Howe was sacked and replaced with Zinedine Zidane, who led them to finish 10th. They exited the Champions League on penalties to Sociedad in the playoff round, but reached the FA Cup Final only to also lose on penalties to Liverpool and lsot to Arsenal in the Carabao semis. So overall, Messi had a pretty successful time at Newcastle – and will retire in the summer.
Messi at West Ham United
West Ham enjoyed continental success last season, but struggled a little in the league. But could Messi bring more success to East London?
Messi had a solid first season, scoring 7 with 5 assists and a 7.33 average rating in 32 league games. And he scored 8, from an xG of 16, and got 10 assists in 45 games in all competitions. But West Ham struggled to a 15th-place finish only 4 points above the dropzone, which saw David Moyes replaced by Rafa Benítez mid-season. They lost to Union Berlin in the Conference League round of 16, Luton on penalties in the FA Cup 4th round and Wolves in the Carabao 4th round.
Messi was better in season 2, with 8 goals, 9 assists and a 7.40 average rating in 33 league games. And he added 2 goals and an assist in 4 cup games. That form helped West Ham to a much improved 9th place on 54 points, 11 off the European places. They lost to City in the FA Cup quarters and Burnley on penalties in the Carabao 4th round. And interestingly, for the first time in this experiment, Messi is wanted by a club with Arsenal potentially looking to sign him.
But that interest didn’t materialise and Messi had a decent final season at West Ham, scoring 7 with 6 assists and a 7.09 average rating in 34 league games and adding 2 goals in 3 cup games. Benítez resigned in July to take charge of Switzerland and was replaced by Ruud van Nistelrooij, who had a poor season as West Ham finished 14th with 39 points, only 5 points above the drop after losing their last 5 matches. They also lost to Man City in the FA Cup 3rd round and Chelsea in the Carabao 3rd round. And Messi of course retires in the summer.
Messi at Wolverhampton Wanderers
If any club needed a spark with Messi’s attacking threat, it’s probably Wolves, who are notoriously goal-shy. But could Messi bring a little excitement to Wolverhampton?
Messi enjoyed one of his strongest first seasons so far as he scored 13 goals with 5 assists and a 7.30 average rating in 35 league games. And he added a goal and 2 assists in 5 cup games. Despite that, Wolves only finished 16th on 34 points, just 3 above the relegation zone, and only scored 36 goals. They lost to Chelsea in the FA Cup quarters and Spurs in the Carabao 3rd round.
Messi took the captaincy in season 2 and played well with 8 goals, 3 assists and a 7.33 average rating in 35 league games, adding 1 goal in 3 cup games. Wolves improved slightly to 14th place on 41 points and well clear of relegation. But they exited both cups in the 3rd round, losing to Everton in the FA Cup and Villa in the Carabao.
He also enjoyed a strong 3rd season, scoring 9 with 5 assists and a 7.24 average rating in 34 league games. But despite that, Messi suffered the indignity of relegation for the first time as Wolves dropped to 18th place on 33 points and with just 30 goals scored. They performed well in the cups though, reaching both domestic semi-finals only to lose to Liverpool 1-0 after extra-time in the FA Cup and to Brighton in the Carabao. Messi actually signed a new contract that halved his wages until 2026, but is retiring this summer anyway.
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