Messi and Paris Saint-Germain: An alliance to win the Champions League

Lionel Messi said on Wednesday that he was “very happy” to be a player at Paris Saint-Germain and his “dreams” to finally present him with the Holy Grail, the Champions League, which he has already won four times with FC Barcelona.

He said during a press conference broadcast live on a giant screen to hundreds of fans gathered in front of the Parc des Princes, to win again the European Football Queen competition, the Argentine striker is convinced that he is “in the perfect place”.

In Paris, do not dilute “Missimania”. Fans came at dawn to queue in front of the club’s stores to make sure they could buy a T-shirt filled with his name and number 30. In the online store, men’s models had already run out in the middle of the morning.

“La Puce” perfectly managed his arrival, sportingly, at the same time as a huge smile he has not given up since, the “Here is Paris” shirt to greet them like a benevolent king at Bourget Airport, around the Parc des Princes, then finally on the balcony His hotel is in the beautiful Parisian neighborhood.

galaxy

On Sunday, he bid farewell to FC Barcelona as he began writing his legend since he was 13 years old. But since then, he has decided to make his “French Revolution,” as Spanish daily Marca wrote on Wednesday.

Paris Saint-Germain is a rival club to Barcelona “and what ails it!”, the Catalan title of the sport. Xavi, his former colleague, commented in an interview with The Times: “It is difficult for me to imagine Messi wearing any shirt other than the Barcelona shirt.”

The reasons that prompted the leaders of the capital club to hire the 34-year-old striker are well known: Messi gives a new dimension to his project, both sportingly and economically.

For the entire French championship, undermined by the health crisis and a sharp decline in its audiovisual revenue, it is a breath of fresh air. This is “extraordinary news to reveal Ligue 1 internationally”, the president of the league, Vincent Labron, enjoyed.

On the field front, the presence of “Bulga” brings Paris closer to their dream of winning the Champions League. So its wealthy Qatari owner (QSI) hopes to be shown by the star who has won it four times.

It’s a galactic team, reinforced this summer by Georginio Wijnaldum, but also by Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma, three players who were captains for Holland, Real Madrid and AC Milan last season. Without forgetting Moroccan Achraf Hakimi, who made a strong impression in his right lane during the preparatory matches and the Champions Cup.

“The arrival of Leo to our global squad underscores the importance and success of our recruitment process,” said Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of Paris Saint-Germain.

Mbappe’s silence

With Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, if the latter remains, the Argentine will form one of the most powerful attacking trios in history, reminiscent of “MSN” in his Catalan era, along with Luis Suarez … and Neymar.

However, the future of the French player, whose contract has not yet been extended, which expires in 2022 and which was reported by the Spanish press at Real Madrid, remains unresolved.

Wednesday at midday, he has not yet responded to Messi’s arrival, unlike Neymar, delighted to see the pair with Messi “meet again”. But Nasser Al-Khelaifi pointed out that with this recruitment, Mbappe had no “excuse” for wanting to leave, as Paris Saint-Germain is the club that offers him the greatest sporting guarantees.

The future Parisian player No. 30 is not expected to appear on Saturday against Strasbourg in the French League, due to his delay in physical preparation. It could start on the 29th in Reims, or after the international break, against Claremont on September 12th.

If he’s expensive, Messi is also a star who is likely to bring in a very large number of subscribers to the club, which has six times more on Instagram than his player, even if the club’s audience is growing exponentially with 3 million subscribers. More in two days. .

According to the French press, Paris Saint-Germain offered a net annual salary of around 40 million euros a year, along with a large signing bonus, for the Argentine who scored for two years, with an optional extra season.

Such bonuses would put him on the level of Neymar (36 million euros), the highest-paid player in the history of French football.

The opportunity was very good for QSI, in the context of light financial play that gives it more margin.

Messi on… Champions League

“It’s not easy to win it. PSG were very close to winning it. It’s a competition that brings together the best. What does it take to win it? I don’t know, but you need a united and strong group, I get the impression that’s the case here. Then you need to.” A little luck (…) You can have the best team in the world and not win it. The smallest details can make a difference, I know how difficult it can be, PSG knows it too. I arrive at a practically brilliant team, other than the important recruits who They arrived this season. My dream is to lift the Champions League again and that is what we will try to do.”

Neymar and Mbappe

“I’m so happy, it’s crazy. It’s great, there are great players in all positions, great arrivals (…) I’ll play with the best and it’s always a nice thing. It’s nice to enjoy every day.”

Quick Negotiations

“It was difficult (note: leaving Barcelona) and very quickly. So many feelings, I don’t forget what I went through (…) There were so many feelings in the process, we absorbed them little by little, as they came (…) This was The welcome is the icing on the cake.”

Back to the field

“I was arrested for more than a month (after the Copa America), yesterday (Tuesday) I met the coach and the staff. I have to get my body ready. I hope it is as soon as possible, because I want to play. I can’t make a date. When the staff decides That I can play, it would be with great desire (…) I want all of this to happen quickly. I want to start training, I really want to meet my teammates.”

Pochettino

“The dressing room and the technical staff had a great influence (on his decision). When the negotiations began, I spoke with Mauricio Pochettino, and I have known him for a long time. The fact that he is Argentine, there is a closeness. The technical staff and the Paris workforce made me choose this club.”

French League 1

“I have friends who play here, and I watched their matches. It is a tournament that has improved a lot in recent years, thanks to the momentum of Paris Saint-Germain as well. It makes the whole tournament more competitive (…) It will be new stadiums, new opponents, and it will be a new experience for me.”

football love

“I wanted my family to be healthy and to be able to adapt quickly to the city and the country. I am ready for this new experience. In the end, it is only football, it is the same everywhere. I have friends in the locker room who will help me get used to it quickly.) ..) I have the same enthusiasm as when I was a kid. I love football.”

FC Barcelona

“I like to win, I’m a winner, I want to keep fighting for my goals. PSG want to win and win, keep growing as a club. I don’t know if we’ll play each other (with Barcelona), it would be great to come back, but it would be weird with a shirt. else “