Lionel Messi: PSG post tweet announcing deal as legend arrives to complete move | OneFootball

Lionel Messi has arrived in Paris ahead of his proposed move to Paris Saint-Germain.

The legendary Argentine forward, who said goodbye to Barcelona during an emotional press conference on Sunday, arrived in the French capital on Tuesday afternoon.

Messi is expected to put pen to paper on a two-year contract with PSG. He will earn a salary of around €35 million net per season with add-ons included, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

PSG fans gathered at Le Bourget airport and the Parc des Princes to welcome the man considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time on Monday.

However, it later transpired that Messi was still at his Barcelona home with his family.

Twenty-four hours later, though, L'Equipe reported that Messi had agreed to join PSG and was about to fly to Paris to complete his move.

This followed reports in Spain that suggested Barcelona had made a dramatic last-ditch offer to try and keep Messi.

The Argentina international landed in Paris with his family around 3:30pm (French time) on Tuesday and was transported to the Parc des Princes.

PSG post Messi tweet

PSG, meanwhile, posted the following tweet confirming that Messi is their new signing...

And here is the man himself...

Messi wanted to stay at Barcelona - but couldn't

Per Sky Sports, PSG were one of three potential options that Messi had after Barça informed him last week that they couldn’t afford to renew his contract.

Messi made it clear that he wanted to stay at Barcelona, the club he joined as a 13-year-old, but that became impossible because of the Catalan outfit’s perilous financial situation.

The six-time Ballon d’Or winner offered to reduce his salary by 50 per cent but Barça, who need to bring their wage bill down from 95 per cent to under 70, still wouldn’t have been able to register him even if he’d offered to play for free.

What number will Messi wear at PSG?

Messi will now join Mauricio Pochettino’s star-studded squad at the Parc des Princes.

The 34-year-old will reunite with his former Barcelona teammate Neymar, who apparently offered his friend the opportunity to wear the No. 10 shirt at PSG.

It's expected that Messi will wear No. 30 (his first squad number at Barça) instead.

Enter Giveaway

Who are Messi's new teammates at PSG?

Messi will also team up with his international colleagues Angel Di Maria, Mauro Icardi and Leandro Parades.

Former Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos will become his new teammate - a scenario that would previously have sounded impossible - as will the revered Kylian Mbappe.

Messi, Neymar and Mbappe - ‘MNM’, as it will surely be referred to - has the potential to become world football’s most revered attacking triumvirate.

And anything less than Champions League glory for PSG, who have never been champions of Europe before, this season will be considered a failure.

What else do we know about Messi's PSG move?

Per COPE’s Victor Navarro, Messi is poised to stay at the Hotel Le Royal Monceau hotel until he finds a home.

The South American is expected to be officially presented as a PSG player on Wednesday.

Pochettino’s side, who were beaten to last season’s Ligue 1 title by Lille, opened their 2021-22 league campaign with a 2-1 victory over Troyes at the weekend.

How much do you really know about Lionel Messi? [Quiz]

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Which city was Lionel Messi born and raised?

Buenos Aires Rosario Mendoza Cordoba

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Rob Swan

Interested in: Manchester United, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane

Football writer for over a decade, childhood hero was Zinedine Zidane. Will always maintain Juan Sebastian Veron wasn't a total flop at Man Utd, and that Scholes > Gerrard and Lampard.