The footballer Leo Messi will play next season for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after more than 20 years wearing the Football Club Barcelona shirt.
The Argentine star arrived in France on Tuesday after accepting the offer from the Parisian team.
The 34-year-old Argentine signed a
two-year contract
with an option for one more season, according to the club.
"I am excited to start a new stage of my career at Paris Saint-Germain," said Messi. "The club and its vision are in perfect harmony with my ambitions.
I know how talented the team is.
I am determined to build something great together with them for the club and the fans and I am looking forward to going out onto the field of the Parque de los Príncipes ”, he added.
[Lionel Messi leaves FC Barcelona due to "economic and structural obstacles" to renew his contract]
No salary figures were given, but a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that the player will earn about 35 million euros ($ 41 million) per year.
"I am delighted that Lionel Messi has decided to join Paris Saint-Germain and we are proud to welcome him and his family to Paris," said PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
"He has made no secret of his desire to continue competing at the highest level and winning trophies and naturally that is our ambition as a club," he added.
Lionel Messi greets after arriving at Le Bourget airport, north of Paris, on Tuesday, August 10, 2021, after finalizing the agreement of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain.
Francois Mori / AP
It is a symbolic fact that Messi is going to wear the number 30
.
It was the same that he wore on the numbers during his first two seasons with Barcelona, before using 19 and then 10, which Neymar currently occupies with the Parisian club.
Minutes after landing in the French capital, Messi was seen wearing a shirt that read the inscription "
Ici c'est Paris"
, "This is Paris", in French.
In the morning, PSG uploaded to its Twitter account a photomontage of 6 golden balls with the Eiffel Tower in the middle of the image, which could correspond to the 6 golden balls won by Messi throughout his career.
Jorge Messi
, Leo Messi's father and representative,
confirmed this Tuesday,
before embarking on a private flight to Paris, that the Argentine star will play for PSG this season.
Upon arrival at El Prat airport, Jorge Messi answered with a "yes" when a journalist from the Spanish audiovisual group Atresmedia asked him if his son was going to sign for the Parisian team.
The father of Argentine striker Lionel Messi, Jorge Messi, upon his arrival this afternoon at the corporate Terminal of Barcelona's El Prat Airport, from where he will depart accompanied by his son to formalize the contract for the French club Paris Saint Germain.
EFE / Alejandro Garcia
And when asked by the person in charge that finally Leo Messi has not renewed for Barcelona, he replied annoyed several times with a "find out at the club, ask at the club."
Finally, the player's representative responded with another question when asked if his son was leaving the Catalan capital sad.
"Didn't you see it?", He answered bluntly, thus recalling Messi's farewell press conference, in which the striker acknowledged between sobs that his wish was to continue at the Camp Nou.
The footballer became the most desired free agent in football history after his contract with Barcelona expired.
The Barça club had hoped to retain him after accepting a salary reduction, but still would not have complied with the financial regulations of the Spanish soccer league.
Lionel Messi after scoring a goal against Manchester United in the quarterfinals of the Champions League with Fúbtol Club Barcelona, on April 16, 2019.AP Photo / Manu Fernández
PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino got in touch with his compatriot when Barcelona announced last Thursday that Messi would leave
the club where he arrived at the age of 13,
and with which he won all the great trophies and several player of the year awards. .
PSG, financed for a decade by the sovereign fortune of Qatar, is one of the few clubs in the world that could afford the signing of Messi.
