“Most defenders get confused” – Thierry Henry makes interesting claim on how Lionel Messi gets the better of his opponents as ‘frightening’ PSG form continues

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has revealed how Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Lionel Messi cleverly distracts his opponents as the Argentine continues his brilliant run of form this season.

Messi has scored 12 goals and provided 13 assists in his second season with the French club after a dreadful first season in Paris.

Henry played alongside Messi for a short while during his three-year stint with Spanish giants Barcelona. Henry joined the Blaugrana's in 2007 on a £24 million deal from Arsenal. Since then, the Frenchman has been an admirer of the Argentine superstar.

Expressing his admiration for his former teammate, Henry said that Messi is in 'frightening form'. He shared how the Argentine cleverly cuts across defenders to create chances for his team. The former striker claimed that Messi starts off a game looking uninterested but changes the pace later on, which confuses the defenders.

Speaking to American sports website El Futbolero US (via the Mirror), the Frenchman said:

"Most defenders get confused because Lionel Messi always seems less interested at the start of games and then he changes the pace. I've played with him a couple of years, and this season, Messi is in frightening form."

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, well-known for his excellent dribbling and passing ability, has been a consistent performer since the beginning of the new season. He has linked up brilliantly with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to help PSG dominate and remain at the top of the Ligue 1 table with 35 points from 13 games. The defending champions have not lost a single game across different competitions this season.

The Argentine superstar left his former club Barcelona before the beginning of the 2021-22 season after spending 16 years at Camp Nou, scoring 672 goals and winning countless team and individual awards. PSG secured the blockbuster signing of Messi on a two-year deal with - with an option of a third - worth £25m per year after tax, plus bonuses, as per Sky Sports.

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Lionel Messi's current form boosts Argentina's chances of winning the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni will be very relieved to see his team's biggest superstar, Lionel Messi, performing at his best week in and week out for PSG.

In his first season with PSG, Messi was out of touch throughout the season and only managed to score 11 goals and provide 15 assists in 34 matches across different competitions. He missed a crucial penalty against Real Madrid in the knockout stages of the Champions League, leading to PSG crashing out of the tournament last season.

However, the legendary forward has got his goalscoring form back before the beginning of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which will also be the last one for the 35-year-old Argentine. Lionel Messi has been a major contributor to PSG's domination this season with direct involvement in 25 goals so far.

Messi regaining his previous form is a huge boost for Scaloni and the Argentine national team, who are amongst the biggest title contenders for this edition of the FIFA World Cup.