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Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the signing of Lionel Messi after the Argentina captain’s contract expired at Barcelona earlier this summer.
Messi has signed a two-year contract with the Ligue 1 team, with the option of extending it for another year.
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“I am delighted to be starting a new chapter in my career at Paris Saint-Germain. Everything at the club matches my footballing ambitions. I know how talented the team and the coaching staff are. I am determined to help. to build something special for the club and the fans, and I can’t wait to step onto the Parc des Princes pitch, ”Messi said in a statement.
PSG will hold a press conference on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. CEST (5:00 a.m.ET) to officially introduce Messi. He arrived in the French capital on Tuesday by private plane where he underwent his medical examination and visited the Parc des Princes stadium.
Messi will wear number 30 with PSG, which was his first number at Barcelona. Neymar, now reunited with his ex-Barça teammate, offered him the No.10 but Messi refused. PSG requested authorization because the n ° 30 is reserved for goalkeepers according to the regulations of the league and was worn by Alexandre Letellier.
A new 💎 in Paris!
PSGxMESSI ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/2JpYSRtpCy
– Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) August 10, 2021
Hundreds of PSG supporters awaited Messi’s arrival at Le Bourget airport and Parc des Princes, as well as at the Le Royal Monceau hotel, where the player and his family are staying. The hotel is the same place Neymar stayed when he completed his record-breaking € 222million transfer to PSG in 2017.
“I am delighted that Lionel Messi has chosen to join Paris Saint-Germain and we are proud to welcome him and his family to Paris. He has made no secret of his desire to continue to compete at the highest level and to win trophies, and of course our ambition as a club is to do the same. The addition of Leo to our world-class squad continues a very strategic and successful transfer window for the club. Led by our exceptional coach and his staff, I can’t wait for the team to make history together for our fans around the world, ”said Nasser Al-Khelaifi, PSG president and CEO.
Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi had spent his entire career with the Catalan club, having joined their youth squad in 2000, but Barcelona have announced that he will not stay after being unable to register his new contract. due to financial constraints. His previous contract with the club expired on June 30.
He held a tearful farewell press conference on Sunday once his exit from Barca was confirmed.
Messi, 34, had agreed to a new five-year contract with Barca, but that would have meant the club’s payroll stood at 110% of his income. Their spending cap with La Liga has dropped from over € 600m in 2019-2020 to € 200m expected in the coming season, making it impossible to save Messi’s new deal even with a pay cut. His previous terms included a base salary of around 70 million euros gross without bonus.
Messi said in Sunday’s press conference that he wanted to stay at Barca and agreed to a 50% pay cut, but the club were unable to save him due to his inability to offload others players on time and reduce their high payrolls. He said he had received several calls from clubs since the news broke that he would not be continuing his 21-year association with Barca.
Messi has scored a record 672 goals in 778 appearances for Barca, winning 10 La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey seven times, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup three times each and the Champions League four times.
In July, he also won his first major international honor by helping Argentina win the Copa America.
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