Lionel Messi signed a contract with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday to end his career-long association with Barcelona and start a new era for PSG. The French club said in a statement that the 34-year-old Argentina star signed a two-year deal with the option for a third season.
Messi is excited by the new challenge of playing in Ligue 1
Messi had nothing but nice things to say about Ligue 1 when asked about the extent of his French football knowledge. “I have been following this. I have friends and I know Ligue 1 because of my friends in Paris, I was following their games in Paris. I think this championship has been growing a lot. Paris has worked a lot for Ligue 1 growing up because of the transfers and so on. I think the league is more competitive and the teams are growing stronger, because they want to win against Paris and win Ligue 1. I will have new rivals and new stadiums, and I am very happy to experience this new atmosphere.”
PSG will comply with FFP regulations
Nasser Al-Khelaifi is adamant Paris Saint-Germain will comply with Financial Fair Play regulations despite the arrival of Lionel Messi. It is understood Messi, 34, will be paid a sign-on fee of €25 million and has signed a two-year contract with a net salary of €25 million per year.
PSG chief: Mbappe has to stay
During Lionel Messi’s first press conference as a Paris Saint-Germain player, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said Kylian Mbappe has to stay at PSG after Messi’s arrival. Mbappe is of serious interest to Spanish giants Real Madrid. His contract in the French capital expires next summer, and there has been no indication that he is any closer to renewing his deal.
Neymar celebrates Messi’s arrival on Instagram
Neymar has celebrated the arrival of Lionel Messi via his Instagram account. The former Barcelona forward put up a compilation video of himself and Messi during their time at the Spanish club and captioned it with the words: “Back together.”
Messi is excited to play alongside Neymar
Lionel Messi and Neymar have not played together since the Brazilian signed for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017. Messi will also be able to play alongside Mbappe, who is commonly regarded as the most exciting young player in the world.
Messi admits he might need to carry out a pre-season before his debut
Paris Saint-Germain has their first home game of the 2021-22 season on Saturday, August 14, where they will host Strasbourg. Fans, and Messi, hope he will feature in his first game in a PSG shirt, but the 34-year-old has admitted he might need to carry out a pre-season before he plays.
Verratti showing he is “among the best”
The final question of the press conference was whether Messi is happy to play with Marco Verratti. Messi said: “He is showing he’s among the best. Barcelona really wanted to have him. Today it is the reverse situation; I am coming to PSG. He’s an incredible person and an incredible player; he is a phenomenon and spectacular. Not only Verratti, the entire dressing room, but they are also the best players in the world in all positions. I hope I can bring my parts to achieve the goals of PSG and my personal goals.”
When will Messi play?
Every football fan is waiting with bated breath to know when Lionel Messi will make his first appearance for Paris Saint-Germain. Messi said when he was asked that when he thinks he will be able to play his first minutes.
“I don’t know,” said Messi. “I was on holiday, and it’s very new. I spoke yesterday with the technical staff, so maybe I need a pre-season myself. I am going to begin to train and work. I hope I can play as soon as I can. I really want to. But I can’t exactly answer your question. When I feel it, when the staff thinks I am ok, then I will be ready to play.”
