PARIS — Lionel Messi dashed any thoughts of him taking it easy in his later years as he set his sights on leading new club Paris St.-Germain (PSG) to their first ever Champions League title at his presentation in France on Wednesday.
The Argentine forward, 34, had agreed to stay at former club Barcelona after his deal expired at the end of June, only for the Spanish club to admit they could no longer afford him last week.
He signed a two year deal with an option for a third with the Parisians on Tuesday.
PSG have hoovered up domestic titles since the investment of their deep-pocketed owners Qatar Sports Investment in 2011. However, they have never won the Champions League, while Messi has won it four times, the last one coming in 2015.
“That’s why I am here (to win trophies). It’s an ambitious club,” Messi, who will wear the No. 30 jersey — which was his first squad number in senior football at Barcelona in 2006, told a news conference.
“You can see they’re ready to fight for everything.
“My dream is to win another Champions League, and I think this is the ideal place to be to do that.”
The Argentine conceded he did not know when he would be able to make his debut given he has not played since winning the Copa America with his country last month.
“I’m coming back from holiday. I need a bit of a pre-season and get myself going. Hopefully, debuting can be soon, but I can’t give you a date. It’s up to the coaches.”
FRIENDS REUNITED
Messi will join former Barça team mate Neymar in Paris.
The Brazilian left Catalonia for the French capital in a world record €222-million ($259.94 million) deal in 2017, however he never hid his desire to link up with his close friend once again on the pitch.
They will now line up together again, with Kylian Mbappé as the third member of a potent frontline.
“To be able to play with the likes of Neymar and Mbappé is insane. They’ve made so many good signings, I’m really happy and can’t wait to get started,” Messi added.
FAN CRAZE
Eyebrows were raised as to how PSG could afford to sign Messi within UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. However, club chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who was sat alongside Messi, insisted the deal was well within their economic scope.
“We are always attentive to Financial Fair Play. It’s the first thing we check with the commercial, financial and legal people to see if we can do it before signing someone,” he said. — Reuters
