The end of an era for La Liga meant a new dawn in Ligue 1 as, arguably, the best player on the planet was presented to the Paris Saint-Germain fans on Saturday.
For the first time in 17 seasons, Lionel Messi was in France, rather than Catalonia at the club he served man and boy and with such great distinction. The Argentine genius left a legacy of greatness at Barcelona and while the Parc des Princes stood as one to applaud their new hero, the fans at the Camp Nou chanted Messi’s name as their team won their opening game against Real Sociedad.
There’s hasn’t been Ligue 1 2021 news to rival this since the record-breaking moves of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar to the moneybags club, and this development overshadows both of those signings. Messi’s new team-mate Angel di Maria says he’s happier to see his compatriot join the club, instead of Juve’s Cristiano Ronaldo, and the Ligue1 2021 betting odds already had PSG as strong favourites even before the Argentine has signed.
Messi was set to sign a contract at Barcelona which would have taken him to the end of his career, but the club failed to meet La Liga’s financial fair play rules. He was so keen to stay at Barcelona that he offered to take a 50 per cent pay cup but that wouldn’t balance the books and so he headed to Paris to sign a two-year deal.
While Barcelona made a winning start in La Liga, Messi watched his new team take Strasbourg apart in a 4-2 victory on Saturday. The array of talent at the Paris club’s disposal is already frightening as the list of goal-scorers will testify. Mauro Icardi opened the scoring before Julian Draxler and Kylian Mbappe gave the league favourites at 3-0 lead. Strasbourg fought back to 3-2 but then Pablo Sarabia climbed off the bench to seal the points.
Add to those players the new arrivals in Paris – Italy’s Euro 2020 hero Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos – and now Messi…this is some team.
Messi eyes European glory
PSG were beaten finalists in the 2020 Champions League, losing 1-0 to FC Bayern, and one of head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s stated intents is to conquer Europe as well as France.
The Argentine manager was instrumental in Messi’s move to Paris and the new megastar has already said that one of his reasons for this move was to win his first Champions League final since 2015: “There are some new transfers but they have been very close and they are ready,” he said in an interview to delight the Parisien faithful.
“I just came here to help – I’ll give it my best. My goal and my dream is to win the trophy again and I think that Paris is the best place to have a chance again. It’s not easy. Sometimes you can have the best team in the world and you don’t win the Champions League.”
Just ask Manchester City!
When Messi won his last Champions League final, against Juventus back in 2015, he was alongside Brazilian Neymar at Barcelona, and he too talked to his former team-mate to improve the Parisens’ chances of signing their top target. And with friends already in his new dressing room Messi is sure to find his feet without delay.
Here at SBOTOP, we’ll be covering Europe’s biggest league from start to finish and we expect PSG to go pretty much all the way.
Could Mbappe still leave Paris this summer?
The only worrying thing on PSG fans’ minds, following the signing of Messi, is the nagging concern that their existing galactico Kylian Mbappe could still head for the exit door in August. La Liga giants Real Madrid are big admirers of the 22-year-old French sensation and it seems the arrival of Messi has done little or nothing to convince Mbappe to stay.
Real Madrid will not make a move unless they get encouragement from the player and they will wait for Mbappe to make the first move, though PSG bosses would be reluctant to enter talks. If Mbappe forces the situation there could be a development but Los Blancos’ boss Carlo Ancelotti will not be accused of unsettling the player, and Pochettino should be able to settle any concerns his young star has.
One striker who may be nearer the exit is Messi’s fellow countryman Mauro Icardi. The former Inter Milan star is reported to be open to a move back to Serie A and Juventus are keen to sign him.
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