In the first 2 parts of this Football Manager Experiment, we explored how Lionel Messi would fare at the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ and some of its mid-table contenders. The final part will see Messi placed at last season’s relegated sides and the clubs that were newly promoted to the Premier League.
Messi at Newly Promoted Clubs
First up, we’ll move Messi over to the three clubs who were promoted to the Premier League for the 2022/23 season to see if he can ensure they stay in the league as they did in real life.
Messi at AFC Bournemouth
Bournemouth performed beyond expectations to survive with relative ease in real life. But could the presence of Messi see that duplicated in FM?
He had a good start, scoring 11 goals with 5 assists and a 7.46 average rating in 37 league games. However, that wasn’t enough to save Bournemouth from relegation as they lost their last 9 matches and finished 19th with 30 points, 5 away from safety. They weren’t much better in the cups, losing to Villa in the FA Cup 4th round and Birmingham in the Carabao 3rd round. And with Bournemouth going down, it looks like we could see Messi on the move for the first time in this experiment with Chelsea, Liverpool, Atlético and Barca all interested in him.
Indeed, Messi earned a £10.25m move to champions Liverpool in the summer. He enjoyed another solid season with 11 goals and 6 assists with a 7.47 average rating in 29 league games and scored 13 with 9 assists in 40 games in all competitions. That helped Liverpool finish 3rd in the Premier League on 82 points, 10 behind winners City. Liverpool lost to City in the Champions League semis, Chelsea in the FA Cup 3rd round and Bristol City in the Carabao 4th round. Bournemouth, meanwhile, beat Middlesbrough in the playoff final to gain promotion.
Messi only managed 2 goals and 5 assists in 24 league games in his 2nd season at Liverpool, adding 2 goals and assists in 14 cup appearances, getting a 7.17 average rating in all competitions. He helped Liverpool finish 2nd, 2 points behind City, while his former club Bournemouth were relegated again. In the cups, Liverpool lost to Bayern in the Champions League quarters, Hull in the FA Cup 5th round and Arsenal in the Carabao semis. And Messi retired without winning anything.
Messi at Fulham
Fulham enjoyed an excellent season back in the Premier League with Mitrovic running wild. So could Messi supply the big striker for success in southwest London?
Well, not really, as he only managed 2 assists but scored 10 goals with a 7.27 average rating in 30 league games, adding 3 assists in 4 cup games. Fulham just about avoided relegation, finishing 16th on 39 points, 6 above the dropzone. They lost to Chelsea in the FA Cup 5th round and Villa in the Carabao 2nd round.
Messi was also good in season 2, getting 13 assists and 4 goals with a 7.22 average rating in 37 league games. And he added a goal and an assist in 6 cup games. Fulham improved to 13th with 45 points, but only won 1 of their last 9 games so it could have been better. They lost to Leicester in the FA Cup quarters and Newcastle in the Carabao 4th round.
Messi moved back into a central midfield role for season 3 and his form tailed off with 3 goals and 3 assists and a 6.91 average rating in 36 league games, adding 2 goals and an assist in 8 cup games. Fulham improved to 12th on 45 points but lost to Liverpool in the FA Cup quarters and Forest in the Carabao 3rd round. And he eventualy decided to retire in the summer.
Messi at Nottingham Forest
Forest also enjoyed a solid first season back in the Premier League, but could Messi’s stardust save them in FM?
He enjoyed a great 1st season, scoring 15 goals with 10 assists and a 7.18 average rating in 38 league games, adding 3 goals and an assist in 4 cup games. That inspired Forest to an excellent season, finishing 9th on 53 points, just 5 off the European places. But they lost to Villa in the FA Cup 4th round and Brentford in the Carabao 3rd round.
Messi was more prolific in his 2nd season, scoring 18 with 3 assists and a 6.98 average rating in 37 league games, not adding to that tally in 2 cup games. But Forest dropped to 15th with 40 points, after a poor end to the campaign saw them fall from 10th after 30 games. They also lost both cup games to Villa in the FA Cup 3rd round and Leicester in the Carabao 2nd round.
Messi had a good final season at Forest too, scoring 9 goals and a league-high 15 assists with a 7.07 average rating in 38 league games. And he added 3 goals and 2 assists in 5 cup games. That form inspired Forest to an 8th-place finish and qualification for the Conference League. They lost to Liverpool in the FA Cup quarters and Newcastle in the Carabao 2nd round. But Messi retired after one of his best seasons in England, and certainly his best final season.
Messi at Relegated Sides
Last season saw some potential surprises with the relegated clubs, so could the arrival of Messi change these club’s fortunes?
Messi at Leeds United
Leeds was certainly an interesting option, given they were pretty poor for most of last season. But could the threat of Messi push them in the right direction?
Messi started well as he scored 9 and got 4 assists with a 7.10 average rating in 31 league games in his 1st season at Leeds, adding 4 goals and 2 assists in 5 cup games. Leeds started the season poorly and sacked Javi Gracia in February, replacing him with Rafa Benitez. They eventually climbed the table to finish 14th on 45 points but disappointingly lost 2-1 to Norwich in the FA Cup quarters and 4-3 to Newcastle in the Carabao 2nd round.
Messi improved in season 2 with 9 goals and 9 assists and a 7.33 average rating in 34 league games, plus 3 goals in 2 cup games. Leeds improved to 13th on 46 points but a terrible end to the season saw them fail to win any of their last 10 matches, which saw them plummet from 6th in early February. They lost to Leicester in the FA Cup 4th round and Everton in the Carabao 2nd round.
Messi was good again in season 3 as he started every league game and scored 8 goals with 4 assists and a 7.14 average rating, adding 1 assist in 5 cup games. However, that wasn’t enough to save a poor Leeds side as they were relegated in 18th place with 37 points, which was 2 from safety. They lost to Bournemouth in the FA Cup 3rd round and Palace in the Carabao quarters. So Messi finished his career with another relegation.
Messi at Leicester City
An intriguing prospect was Messi at Leicester with the likes of Maddison, Tielemans, Barnes and Vardy, who really shouldn’t have been in the relegation trouble they found themselves in.
Messi had a good 1st season at Leicester, scoring 12 with 5 assists and a 7.21 average rating in 38 league games. And he scored 4 and got an assist in 6 cup games. Leicester started the season poorly, sacked Brendan Rodgers in January and replaced him with Paulo Fonseca. He led them to a 9th-place finish on 50 points and, after losing to Everton in the Carabao 2nd round, they reached the FA Cup Final but lost 3-2 to Chelsea.
Season 2 was also quite good with 8 goals, 5 assists and a 7.35 average rating in 35 league games, with 4 more goals and an assist in 5 cup games. But Leicester dropped to 11th despite getting 2 more points with 52, and lost to Liverpool in the FA Cup 5th round and Man City in the Carabao 4th round.
Messi took the captaincy in season 3 but only played 26 league games, scoring 7 with 6 assists and a solid 7.35 average rating, plus 1 goal in 4 cup games. And Leicester’s form picked up as they finished 7th on 60 points to qualify for the Europa League. But they exited both cups in the 4th rounds, losing to Chelsea in the FA Cup and Sunderland in the Carabao. And Messi retired having led Leicester into Europe.
Messi at Southampton
The final club of this experiment saw Messi make the move to Southampton, who finished bottom of the Premier League in real life.
He enjoyed a good 1st season, scoring 7 with 9 assists and a 7.34 average rating, plus 2 goals and 2 assists in 6 cup games. Southampton finished in 15th with 42 points, avoiding relegation by 6 points. They lost to City in the FA Cup quarters and Bournemouth in the Carabao 2nd round.
His 2nd season was also pretty good with 9 goals, 2 assists and a 7.24 average rating in 34 league games, and 2 more goals in 5 cup games. Southampton finished 13th but got 1 less point, finishing on 41 and 10 clear of relegation. They also reached the FA Cup semis but lost 3-0 to Liverpool and lost 1-0 to Norwich in the Carabao 3rd round.
Messi was fairly good in season 3, scoring 7 with 4 assists and a 6.91 average rating, and he scored 6 goals in 4 cup games. Southampton started the season poorly and sacked Foneca in December, eplacing him with Raphael Wicky, and they again finished 13th with 41 points. They lost to Man UFC in the FA Cup 5th round and a poor 2-1 defeat to Huddersfield in the Carabao 3rd round.
For only the 2nd time in this experiment, Messi didn’t retire and stayed for a 4th season at Saints. And at the age of 38 he played in all 38 league games, largely as a striker, scoring 12 goals with 2 assists and a 6.90 average rating. He added a goal and 2 assists in 9 cup games. Saints dropped to 17th in the league with 35 points, only avoiding relegation by 1 point. But they reached the FA Cup semis and only lost 1-0 to City after extra-time and lost to Palace in the Carabao 4th round. And this time, Messi did retire.
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