After confirming his Barcelona exit, Lionel Messi has made a big move to French giants Paris Saint-Germain, which was confirmed by the club on Tuesday. The Argentine genius has signed a two-year deal with PSG, while the French club has the option to add a third year to his contract.
Speaking after being unveiled by his new club, the 34-year-old stated that he was excited to start a new chapter of his career with PSG.
“I am excited to begin a new chapter of my career at Paris Saint-Germain. Everything about the club matches my football ambitions. I know how talented the squad and the coaching staff are here. I am determined to help build something special for the club and the fans, and I am looking forward to stepping out onto the pitch at the Parc des Princes,” said Messi.
Reports have claimed that Messi will earn around £25 million a year at the French club, while also being awarded a signing-on fee of £25 million.
The multi-time Ballon d’Or winner was expected to sign a new deal at Barcelona. But those plans were scuppered by Spanish league rules, which prohibited the Catalan side from registering new players as they had exceeded their wage budget.
Messi bid a tearful goodbye to Barca on August 8, where he revealed that he and his family were keen on staying at the club, which had been his home for 21 years.
“This year, my family and I were convinced we were going to stay at home, that’s what we all wanted more than anything. We’d always made this our own, we were at home. We thought we would be staying here in Barcelona. But today, we have to say goodbye to all of this,” said Messi in front of his Barca teammates and club dignitaries.
His move to PSG will see him reunite with his friend and former teammate Neymar, and the two – along with Kylian Mbappe – will be expected to fire PSG to several trophies, most important of which will be the Champions League.
This could be the only season where fans could get to see the attacking trio of Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe, as Mbappe is in the final year of his contract and could leave the French club at the end of the season.
PSG plays Strasbourg at home on Saturday night, but that game could be too soon for Messi as he will have to get back to full match fitness.
