Barcelona’s heart will beat in Paris
Thousands gather in the streets of Paris to welcome Messi, who will be unveiled at PSG on Wednesday
PARIS: Lionel Messi landed in Paris on Tuesday with the 34-year-old Argentinian superstar set to sign a deal with Paris Saint-Germain following his departure from boyhood club Barcelona. Messi arrived at Le Bourget airport to the north of the French capital around 3:30 pm (1330 GMT) and was greeted by hundreds of PSG supporters who had gathered hoping to catch a glimpse of their new signing.
Messi, who waved to the crowds while sporting a Paris t-shirt, was then expected to undergo a medical before his signing could be made official by the Qatar-backed club. Messi’s father Jorge, who is also his agent, earlier confirmed the inevitable as he arrived at Barcelona’s El Prat airport to board a flight to France. Asked by reporters if his son would sign for the French club, he replied: “Yes”.
PSG are set to unveil Messi at a press conference at their Parc des Princes stadium on Wednesday. He is expected to sign an initial two-year deal, and the completion of his move will close a whirlwind few days following the announcement last Thursday that he would leave Barcelona, the club he has represented for the entirety of his 17-year professional career.
PSG’s move for Messi had been an open secret for days, although reports in Spain on Monday night talked of a “final offer” by Barcelona to try to keep the player. Instead, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner will join a PSG attack already featuring Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
PSG see Messi as the missing piece in their jigsaw as they chase the Champions League, the trophy they want more than anything else. “Back together,” Neymar, who played with Messi at Barcelona before moving to PSG in 2017, posted on Twitter.
Barcelona are still coming to terms with the departure of their greatest ever player, who said goodbye to his club of two decades at a tearful news conference on Sunday. Despite offering to cut his salary by half to seal a new five-year contract with Barcelona, the deal foundered on Spanish league salary cap rules.