Lionel Messi on Saturday received a first proper taste of his new home, as he was presented to a full stadium of Paris Saint-Germain fans before watching his teammates beat RC Strasbourg 4-2 in Ligue 1, with Kylian Mbappe playing a starring role.
Messi received a rapturous reception as he ran out onto the pitch along with PSG’s other summer signings, with a 48,000-full house greeting the six-time Ballon d’Or winner, despite the welcome ceremony taking place an hour before kickoff.
Messi joined fellow recruits Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Georginio Wijnaldum and Achraf Hakimi on a stage set up on the turf at the Parc des Princes, and the flashy presentation ceremony threatened to overshadow the match itself.
Photo: AFP
The Argentine later watched from the stands alongside Neymar and Angel di Maria — the trio not yet considered match-fit having enjoyed an extended break after playing at the Copa America — as Mauricio Pochettino’s team made it two wins from two Ligue 1 matches this season.
They led 3-0 at halftime thanks to goals by Mauro Icardi and Julian Draxler either side of a Ludovic Ajorque own goal, but Kevin Gameiro and Ajorque netted after the interval to bring the visitors back into the contest.
Pablo Sarabia made sure of the win late on after Strasbourg had been reduced to 10 men in the first match played before a full house at the Parc des Princes since before the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March last year.
“With all that has been happening at the club, it was not easy to stay focused on the game,” Pochettino admitted to broadcaster Canal Plus.
Among the spectators here were Formula One driver Pierre Gasly, French former Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner and NBA star Evan Fournier.
All wanted to catch a glimpse of Messi, but the Argentine is not likely to make his Paris debut for another couple of weeks yet.
While Messi is the new idol of the PSG support, those fans jeered when Mbappe’s name was read out by the stadium announcer ahead of kickoff.
The France striker is in the spotlight with speculation that he will seek a move away from PSG before the transfer window shuts — he has so far refused to extend his contract, which expires at the end of the campaign.
“Kylian is focused on what he has to do here. He had a really good game and he needs to continue like that,” Pochettino added.
Earlier Lille — who defied expectations to pip PSG to the title last season — suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat at home to Nice, whose coach Christophe Galtier joined in the summer from the champions.
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