"This is the best Messi on a personality level" - Sergio Batista hails PSG superstar's leadership qualities for Argentina 

PSG superstar Lionel Messi is proving to be a great leader for Argentina, inspiring the team on the pitch and setting great standards for his colleagues. This has caught the eye of former Albiceleste star Sergio Batista, who has lauded the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner for his leadership qualities.

Batista admits the PSG attacker's on-field performances have dropped significantly but is happy to see the attacker embrace the leadership role with Argentina.

"At the game level, this is not the best Messi. This is the best Messi on a personality level, on a leadership level. I saw a faster Lionel, closer to the box, superior to this one. Today he brings what we all asked for, what is needed from these players.

"Before, we demanded leadership from him, but there were other players who were in charge of that. Today he is doing it and doing it very well," Sergio Batista told TyC Sports.

Lionel Messi's leadership skills came to the fore during Argentina's run in the Copa America last year. Apart from being outspoken on the pitch, the PSG forward produced a string of incredible performances to inspire the Albiceleste to title vicrtory.

It ended up being a historic outing for the former Barcelona playmaker. He totally dominated the tournament, finishing with the most goals (5), most assists (4) and was named the best player in the competition.

Thanks to his incredible exploits, the attacker was awarded his seventh Ballon d'Or award in November last year.

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Lionel Messi's stats with PSG so far this season

The attacker was highly influential as Argentina claimed the Copa America last year

The attacker signed a two-year contract with the Parisians after parting ways with Barcelona in the summer of 2021. Although he has had a slow start to life in the French capital, Messi has shown signs of improvement in recent weeks.

He's been involved in 11 goals for PSG in 16 games so far this season. That includes five goals in the Champions League and one goal and five assists in Ligue 1. It remains to be seen how many goals and assists he'll end the campaign with.